BIONICLE - Phase 01: Advent - Part I: The Dark Time
by MakutaMutran
Summary: Makuta has cast the guardian of the Matoran, the Great Spirit Mata Nui, into a deep sleep, allowing him endless years of oppression over the villagers. But the Turaga elders now sense that this Dark Time of tyranny will soon end. It is up to one Matoran to summon the prophesied Toa to the island to fight back against Makuta, defend the Matoran, and one day awaken the Great Spirit.
1. Prologue

**Beginning Editor's Note: I do not claim to own the Bionicle characters or the majority of these plot points. The material here is simply an edited and compiled version of original Bionicle material. Between books, comics, games, animations, instruction booklets, etc. it is hard to get the full story. Here, comics and video games etc. have been transcribed in novel form and fully integrated into one chronological read. The poetic liberties of novelization and editing are all I can claim. **

**Please follow/favorite/PM in order to let me know if you think this project is worth continuing, or use the forum I made to discuss any questions and feedback on this project. I already have the vast majority of Bionicle lore done and streamlined, but am starting with just a few parts to see how the initial reception goes. **

**These first five parts constitute material from the very beginning in 2000 all the way through the end of 2002, constituting what I've called "Phase 01: Advent." **

**Thank you, and please enjoy the wonderful and vast story of Bionicle... **

* * *

_**The Legend of Mata Nui**_

_In the Time Before Time, the Great Spirit Mata Nui descended from the heavens like a burning star, carrying his people, the ones called the Matoran, to an island paradise. The island was a tropical dreamland in the middle of a vast ocean, inhabited by peaceful creatures and natural resources. Mata Nui moved throughout the world, marvelled at its beauty, and watched over all living things. But the villagers were separate and without purpose, so the Great Spirit blessed them with the Three Virtues: Unity, Duty, and Destiny, taught to the Matoran by their elders, the Turaga. The Matoran embraced these gifts and, in gratitude, they and their elders named their island home Mata Nui, after the Great Spirit himself. The Matoran lived happily under his loving protection. _

_But their happiness was not to last. Mata Nui had been followed by his brother, the dark spirit Makuta, who coveted this world and all that his brother had; Makuta was jealous of these honors and betrayed him. He cast a spell over the Great Spirit, who fell into a deep slumber. Then Makuta claimed the world; he was free to unleash his shadows…and unleash them he did. _

_Darkness and death were everywhere. Makuta's shadowy presence of power dominated the land in Mata Nui's absence as fields withered away, sunlight grew cold, and ancient values were forgotten. For hundreds of years, the Matoran lived under siege on the island from Makuta's presence, which had corrupted the land and turned the once-peaceful Rahi creatures into savage attackers._

_Still, not all hope was lost. In the dark years that followed, the islanders of Mata Nui put their faith in legends—legends that told of six mighty heroes, called the Toa. It was prophesied that these warriors would arrive to save the Great Spirit Mata Nui, sent by the Great Beings. Only the Toa would have the strength and courage to bring peace and light back to the world. They would be six heroes with one destiny: to defeat Makuta and save the Matoran's world. The Toa would need all their power…for Makuta lived to destroy. _

_As the population of Mata Nui awaits the arrival of the foretold Toa, the separate villages desperately hold off fear and hopelessness as now what's past is prologue… _


	2. Chapter 1

"This is the biggest canoe I've ever seen!" said Amaya as she sat between Maku and Marka in the three-bio-long boat. Their vessel was still harbored in the calm waters of a loading dock just off the coast of Ga-Koro, as they awaited departure.

Behind Amaya, Marka adjusted herself. "You know Kai and her ideas. If she could, she would have made the boat big enough to fit the entire village!"

"A rowing club!" exclaimed Maku. "I wish I'd thought of it, first! It was a good idea."

The three Matoran possessed similar colors on their armored legs, arms, and torsos—dark blue feet at the end of stubby legs, with a morning light-blue hue on their torsos and long arms. Their Kanohi Masks, each a different shape and kind, were only slightly different shades of an ocean blue, each one showing the Matorans' glowing yellow eyes beneath.

Amaya chuckled. Her gaze moved past Maku to the prow, where Kai was cupping her hands around her mouth. Her colors were all a medium blue. "Ga-Matoran!" she called. "Ready oars!"

Maku leaned back to speak over her shoulder. "They're those stick things, Amaya."

"I know what an oar is, silly," Amaya returned, smiling at the remark. She set her feet against the block under Maku's seat. Her eyes scanned the floor. "Uh…where are they?"

Maku patted the u-shaped swivel hooking on the boat's side. "Right where they belong. In the oarlocks."

"Yeah, uh-huh, sure," said Amaya. "Oarlocks." She grabbed her oar handles. "I can't believe I let you two talk me into this."

Marka laughed in response as she too grabbed her oars.

"Back it up!" commanded Kai. "Into position!"

Along with three other rowers, Amaya, Marka, and Maku pushed on their double oars to turn the boat away from the Ga-Koro lily pad and move it into starting position.

"Good!" shouted Kai. "Ready, row…and row…and row…"

Aware of the water surface skimming by, Amaya concentrated on the steady rhythm of Kai's commands. This wasn't that bad. The team worked as a unit. Turaga Nokama would be prou—

The boat jerked. A shriek erupted from behind Amaya.

"Hold water! Hold water!" screamed Kai. "Stop the bo—" The boat's stern tipped downward and Kai tumbled forward.

The sky whirled overhead as Amaya fell backwards into Maku.

"Help me!" Marka's scream mingled with those of the other Matoran of Water.

Amaya struggled to shove herself upright, twisting her body to see the stern. She gasped. A thick tentacle gripped around Marka's torso.

"Help!" cried Marka. "Get it off! Get it off!"

Amaya searched about her. "My oar! Where's my oar!?" Her hand slid along the boat's side until her fingers wrapped around the handle. Of course, in the oarlock—right where it belonged.

She yanked the oar free and slammed it down on the tentacle as Marka screamed. Amaya raised her oar and froze in mid-strike as the creature dragged Marka over the side. Water covered her head, silencing her final cry.

"No!" Oar still in hand, Amaya flung herself into the sea, diving underwater.

Once the flurry of bubbles passed her, she saw a multi-armed, dark shape looming to her left. Two glowing eyes blinked at her. She hesitated for a moment, then started jabbing at the eyes again and again with the handle of her oar.

The water exploded around her as Kai and her four Ga-Matoran teammates dropped into the sea as well. Amaya glanced at them and thrust her oar toward the Rahi's eyes again. Quickly, her teammates joined her, stabbing and slashing at the Rahi with their blunt wooden oars.

Another bubble storm blinded them, temporarily pausing their attack. When the water cleared, they could see that Marka had floated face-up before them. The Rahi had released her. Amaya snatched Marka and carried her to the surface. One by one, the others surfaced beside her. They stared at the capsized boat and the bubbling wake of the fleeing Rahi.

"What was that thing?" someone asked.

"Where's it going?" said another.

Kai's eyes traced the direction of the Rahi. "Ga-Koro!" she cried. "Quick! After it!"

While the others swam off, Amaya stared into Marka's unconscious face. Her dark blue mask, a Kanohi Hau, was gone. Without it, she would succumb to a long-term coma simply due to the lack of strength; if it was absent for longer, death might even claim her. Already, her heartlight blinked faintly, but she was still breathing.

"I've got to get you to shore," Amaya said quietly.

X X X

Churning water halted Amaya a short distance from the village of Ga-Koro. She bobbed in the water and watched the Rahi's attack. Huge tentacles reached onto the lily pad, tearing off pieces and dragging huts and equipment into the sea. Meanwhile, the Ga-Matoran villagers attempted to beat off the Rahi with fishing staffs, though they had poor results.

Shifting Marka's weight, Amaya continued with strong, swift strokes until she reached the far western edge of the lily pad. "You'll be safe here," she said as she set Marka on the leafy foundation. She spied a coiled rope, and, with an idea in mind, she snagged it.

Amaya dove underwater and sped in the direction of the battle. The beast's enormous tentacles whipped the water ahead, but Amaya didn't slow. Other Ga-Matoran swam around the beast, still stabbing at it with fishing staffs. Around the area, village debris floated and bobbed in the water.

Uncoiling her rope, Amaya darted into the maze of twisting tentacles. She wrapped her rope around the nearest tentacle when another knocked against her, pushing her back aways and knocking a portion of her air out. She dashed in and wrapped the rope again, and again. Beak-like clamps at the ends of the tentacles snapped at her from all directions.

_C'mon, _she thought, beginning to choke. _If I can just get—_

A tentacle wound around her neck. Amaya grabbed at it with one hand and flung the rope around it with the other. The tentacle tightened. She pulled to loosen it, but it wouldn't budge. It began yanking her upward. She raised her eyes to the main snapping, beak-like mouth above.

_Uh-oh._

Amaya jammed the wad of rope into the Rahi's mouth, but it simply spat it back out. The exertion of the battle and lack of air weakened her. She felt faint. She tried to stuff the rope in again but missed. A tentacle slapped against her Kanohi Mask, knocking it loose. Another tentacle beak bit into her leg. She shoved again with the rope as the mouth loomed closer. She needed to breathe. She needed to breathe… Something clutched her foot, but she hardly felt it.

_I need… _she thought weakly. Her grip on the Rahi loosened. _I need… _Her world went black.

X X X

"Amaya."

Amaya stirred. _The Rahi! The fight! _She bolted upright. "The village!"

Turaga Nokama quieted Amaya with a hand to her shoulder. "The village is safe."

Each of the six villages on Mata Nui was ruled by an elder called a Turaga, beings entirely different from the Matoran villagers. As the oldest and wisest member of the village, the Turaga's job was to be sure the ancient legends were not forgotten. The Turaga worked together to protect the knowledge of Mata Nui's past as well as the prophecies about its future. Nokama was the only female Turaga, and carried a trident made out of Makuta fish bones. She was famous for her ability to resolve disputes among the other village elders.

Amaya looked around. She was lying on a Ga-Koro lily pad. She held her breath. _Marka. What about Marka? _"Marka? Is she…?"

"I'm right here!"

Amaya's eyes flew past the Turaga to see Marka, grinning and waving.

"Marka!" said Amaya. "You're alive! And you have your Hau!"

Marka nodded at the Ga-Matoran on Amaya's other side. "Maku got it for me!"

Amaya smiled up at Maku, who smiled back, a simple way of saying 'thank you' and 'you're welcome.'

"She said you saved me," added Marka.

"She saved us all!" said Maku. "Tangling the Rahi up in a rope! That was brilliant, Amaya! Brilliant!"

"It was foolhardy and reckless," Nokama admonished. "You nearly drowned, Amaya, or worse."

"For a little bit at the end, there, I was certain I would," said Amaya. "What happened? How did I get here?"

"I had your foot," said Maku. "And I wasn't letting go. With the Rahi tangled, we went at it full force until it dropped you and swam away. Well, tried to swim. Hard to swim when you're all knotted up like that." She chuckled. "That was a sight."

Amaya turned her gaze to the elder. "What was it? Do you know?"

Turaga Nokama stared out at the sea and shook her head. "All that I know is that it was under the dark influence of another…the one who truly wishes to batter us all, wearing us down. He has become bolder in his Rahi attacks as of late. I fear that our efforts in rebuilding the village will take more time than our last skirmishes with the creatures of the sea."

Marka wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. "I guess the big question is, will it be back?"

Amaya surveyed the wreckage of the lily pad. Huts down, the shoreline shredded… The amount of damage a Rahi that size could do… She shivered, too.

Everyone shivered.

"Let's hope not," said Turaga Nokama.


	3. Chapter 2

**500 years later…**

Takua sat contently on the beach's shore, the tide occasionally bringing cool water to his stout metallic feet. Gazing out at the late-morning horizon, he absorbed the scenery as the sun reflected off of his red-and-light-blue armor. This particular strip of beach, the Papa Nihu Reef, extended along the northwestern edge of the island of Mata Nui, quite a ways from the nearest village of Onu-Koro, and much farther from his actual home, the settlement of Ta-Koro. The sand here was pristine, a brighter color than that found in the nearby region of Onu-Wahi, but more fine than that found in the deserts of Po-Wahi.

Takua took in a slow, unobstructed breath as a gentle breeze blew across the land. As he released it, the Matoran reflected on the dual nature of the island—how it could be menaced by the shadow of Makuta omnipresently, causing plague, sickness, and strife, but still seemingly have pockets of peacefulness if one knew where to look.

The sound of approaching footsteps on the beach behind him interrupted his thoughts. Takua turned to see a Ta-Matoran messenger named Aft approaching. "Hello!" Aft said, stopping next to where Takua was sitting. "You're unusually difficult to get a hold of. You know most Matoran don't wander around as much as you do, right?"

Takua shrugged, defending, "It's pleasant out here, and the change in scenery is nice, once in awhile. Besides—don't you travel the island?"

Aft smirked, crossing his arms. "Nice try. That's my _job_, Takua. Maybe if you had one, people back home would've liked you better, including Vakama."

Takua looked back out at the waters, then back to Aft. "Don't you ever get tired of only seeing one part of the island?" He held his hand out, indicating the sand and water. "Look at all this."

Aft looked, but shook his head. "Mm. Ta-Koro's always been enough for me," he said. "Well, I found you to tell you that Turaga Whenua is looking for you. He sent word to Ta-Koro asking for you, but when you weren't there, Vakama sent me to find you. Anyway, Whenua is up the beach in Onu-Koro."

"Turaga Whenua?" Takua asked. That was odd. Although the Matoran were loyal to their native villages, all Matoran shared a common dream: to defeat Makuta and live in a land of peace and beauty. Still, islanders didn't usually receive summons from another village's Turaga.

Message carriers sometimes went from one village to another, fulfilling the requests of multiple Turaga sequentially. Takua had thought about taking an occupation like that, but forcing travels to become his vocation rather than an avocation wasn't an appealing idea. That feeling of discomfort reminded Takua of Aft's original notification. "What does Whenua want with me? I've done nothing in Onu-Koro."

Aft shrugged. "I'm not sure. He didn't say, but it sounded like it was important."

Takua pushed himself up off the sandy surface. "Alright. Thanks," he said, looking off to where Aft had directed him.

"Oh, one more thing," recalled Aft. "Be careful along the way—the trail back to Onu-Koro has become much more hazardous lately—the Onu-Matoran have put out Rahi traps, and there is still some debris left from a recent storm." With that, the Ta-Matoran left; he was going southeast, likely back home to Ta-Koro.

Takua left the reef as well, starting up the trail toward the village. His asymmetrical form slightly lumbered as he moved across the sand and onto the soil that heralded the tunnels of Onu-Wahi. Like all Matoran, one of his arms was stronger and bulkier than the other, its mechanical counterparts built more for flinging objects than the dexterity of handling or using them—a modification made by the Matoran themselves for defense. The feature was enacted several hundred years ago when the native Rahi creatures increased in hostility toward the islanders. That was so far back Takua didn't even remember it.

At present, centuries of Makuta's influence had taken its toll. The path to Onu-Koro was in an obvious state of disrepair, which came as no surprise to Takua. He navigated stone hurdles, jumped across streams and mudslides casually, even used the shells of a school of floating Hoi turtles as stepping stones to cross a river. Conditions like this were quite common—with the resources available to those on Mata Nui, it was difficult to make any trail permanent.

As he traveled, Takua picked up some Madu fruit along the way. The plant was found all across the island, and their hard exterior made them a convenient, if simple, means of projectile defense for the villagers.

In a short amount of time, he made it to the earthen village's northwest perimeter. The outer gate consisted of two doors of latticed metal bars integrated into the rock wall. He crossed it and was greeted by an Onu-Matoran sentry, who gave him a nod and sent him inward toward the cavernous village of Onu-Koro.

X X X

Just inside the tunnel gate, Takua refreshed himself to some Bula berries. The Bula were another common fruit on Mata Nui like the Madu, but instead were known mostly for their sweet taste and nutritional value. The other feature he passed was Onu-Koro's Vuata Maca tree. This highly energy-rich plant generated power for the Koro when paired with certain crystals. The power could then be siphoned into the villages and used by the Matoran for operating limited machinery. On a smaller scale, Matoran could eat the fruit the tree bore to receive extra endurance and energy directly.

Takua walked on, nearing Onu-Koro's village gate. He stopped when he reached the two guards posted there.

"Halt! Who goes there?" called one.

"Yeah, who goes there!" his companion reiterated.

Takua was about to answer when the first spoke again. "I already said that!" he stated sharply, turning with annoyance to his comrade.

"Said what?"

"Who goes there!?"

The second guard was suddenly surprised. "Why are you asking _me_? I'm a guard!"

The first guard let his masked face fall into his palm, then sighed and turned back to Takua. "What is your business in Onu-Koro?"

The second guard again chimed in. "Yeah, what's your—"

"No!" the first guard cut him off, holding up a finger. "Just let him answer."

This time, Takua finally could. He cleared his throat. "Uh…I received word from a messenger that I was needed in Onu-Koro."

"Hm. Maybe he's here to help fight?" wondered one of the guards.

"Ta-Koro is known for the strength of their guard," agreed the other. "Alright, traveler. You may enter."

Takua wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but decided it might be best to get the information from someone else. The two aloof Onu-Matoran guards nodded and let him pass into the settlement, whereupon he paused for a moment to take in the scenery of the place.

Onu-Koro was located in the larger island region of Onu-Wahi, chiefly residing within a massive cavern. The village was located entirely underground, comprised of dark tunnels, caves, and mines that plunged deep beneath the surface of the island. Here, the Matoran of Earth excavated minerals like ore and protodermis, competed in Ussal crab races, and listened closely for the terrestrial vibrations that warned of danger approaching. The mines which fueled the Onu-Koro economy possessed such a vast subterranean network that it extended underneath most of the island. When the Matoran were in harm's way, Onu-Koro was a good place to hide. In the worst of times, Onu-Koro tunnels were used to get messages from one village to another.

Very little of Onu-Koro expanded onto the barren surface, as the eyes Onu-Matoran could see in the dark but were sensitive to bright sunlight. The only sources of illumination were luminescent crystals called Lightstones embedded in the clod huts, tunnel walls and ceiling. Likewise, Matoran of the other five villages were unable to see as well as the Onu-Matoran, preventing them from setting up permanent homes, leaving Onu-Matoran as the primary residents. As he walked through the streets, Takua found himself admiring the pinpoint twinkles of Lightstones amidst the cave almost as much as his own home.

The earth village could be reached via a vast labyrinth of Matoran-made tunnels extending across the island, with known entrances opening at every region except Ga-Wahi, due to the land's marshy and weak constitution at even shallow depths. One more entrance existed from whence Takua had come, the nearby Papa Nihu Reef. Many of routes served as highways, allowing traders from other villages to sell their wares at Onu-Koro's famous bazaar, which led to the village becoming a major center of commerce on Mata Nui. Other tunnels connected back to the massive mines extending deep into the earth.

Proceeding toward the central village plaza, Takua saw the Onu-Suva, a shrine and tributary to the prophesied Toa of Earth. The villagers themselves were most commonly miners and engineers, collectively led by the being Takua was seeking—Turaga Whenua. Oddly enough, he couldn't seem to find him.

Confused, Takua began looking for some kind of direction from signs or bypassers to guide him to Whenua. He passed more than a few Onu-Matoran running hurriedly from place to place. The underground darkness combined with the natural black hues of their armor made it hard to be certain, but the air seemed uneasy and tense rather than work-oriented; their luminescent dark-green eyes bore signs of worry in place of busyness.

Takua stopped one with a call. "Excuse me, sir!" he said. "I'm Takua, a traveler looking for Turaga Whenua. Can you point me to him, please?"

The Onu-Matoran's gaze fell for a moment before returning to Takua. "I'm Taipu. I'm sorry, but I can't show you to him. Turaga Whenua has just been captured!"

"What? How was he captured?" Takua asked.

"Rahi are the obvious answer," Taipu replied, "but to give a name, the Vatuka beast is suspect. It seems Makuta sent it to steal our leader and drive our village into confusion. Who will protect the rest of us from being captured or attacked? Who will lead Onu-Koro now?"

"What happened?" Takua asked.

"The village is in such a panic, it is hard to get information anywhere," the Matoran answered sadly. "Though there are whispers that he was seen around the eastern tunnels, by the Great Mine."

"I'll go have a look around, Taipu," Takua answered. He left the Matoran and made his way eastward. When he got there, he found that there was (thankfully) only one tunnel that led away from the village into Onu-Wahi. His eyes peered and squinted, trying to make sense of shapes and shadows as the number of lightstones dwindled farther away from the village.

"Are you going to search for our Turaga?"

Takua turned to see another Onu-Matoran standing not far away, in front of a hut on the edge of the village. He was in all black armor, save for his orange Kanohi Mask. "No, it's too dark for me to see well, and I don't know the tunnels. No one's found him yet?"

"So far, no one has gone out," the Matoran replied. "The guards have been busy mounting defenses for the village. He needs to be brought back, though! He coordinates the workers and the defenses!"

"Can't you get a few villagers together to go look?" asked Takua.

"Me?" the Onu-Matoran responded, surprised. "Look, traveler, I'm no soldier. I'm just an engineer—a builder. Our military leader, Onepu, is the one to do a search-and-rescue mission, but like I said, he's defending the village right now."

"What if we go together?" Takua suggested. Before the Matoran could protest a second time, he continued, "Whenua wanted to see me, anyway, and if your village isn't going to mount a rescue right now, we've got to save him. I have Madu and rocks, but I'll need you to be my guide and my eyes."

The Matoran considered it. It was obvious, even in the dark, that he was still uncomfortable with leaving his village so soon after his leader was captured. The caves had to be crawling with Rahi, and they were about to look for one that was supposed to be bigger, stronger, and smarter than most others. But he knew that Takua was right. Whenua was depending on Onu-Koro, and he wasn't going to let his elder down.

"Alright," he said finally. "If we're going to go, I have a couple of things that might help." The Onu-Matoran stepped forward and pulled out a tool in the shape of a small staff. The head of the staff was shaped like a flame. "This tool is a manufactured replica of Turaga Vakama's Firestaff—it can not only light our way but release flares. I use it when helping the miners—it can stun the cave creatures, which have become so accustomed to the darkness."

Takua nodded, already feeling comfort come over him from the light of the tool. "And what else?"

"Knowledge," came the reply. "You should know that the Vatuka—a Rahi made of living stone—is blamed for the disappearance of Whenua. Matoran describe it as twice the height of a villager and wider as well. So few islanders claim to see it that many doubt its existence. However, when our Turaga was taken, the rumors started again. Now, more than before, our people believe it is real, and, moreover, that the responsibility of Whenua's capture lies with it."

Takua looked back to the tunnels. "Something tells me it's going to be a bit harder to deter than your average Rahi."

The Onu-Matoran stepped closer, the torch's light creating a soft glow against the rock. "Probably."

Takua turned to him again. "What's your name? I'm Takua."

"Nuparu," he said, offering a hand.

The two shook, then entered the caves to search.


	4. Chapter 3

Nuparu's presence, in addition to the firestaff and information, helped Takua feel much more comfortable, if still afraid. He might have liked exploring, but looking for a dangerous, possibly intelligent Rahi changed things quite a bit. But knowing someone was with him made the whole thing much easier, and an Onu-Matoran at that.

The firestaff gave them light along the way wherever lightstones did not, and it did an adequate job of scaring off most Rahi. Takua walked with it, needing the light more than Nuparu. Every now and then, he would swing to make a cave spider or scorpion back away as they walked.

"So why didn't you try going out before I came along?" Takua asked.

"Well, honestly, I hadn't thought of it," Nuparu admitted. "Sure, we need Whenua back as soon as possible, for our sake as much as his, but the idea never struck me to go out here myself. It was too scary—there are a lot of Rahi out here doing…" he gulped. "_His _work."

Takua didn't need to ask who Nuparu was talking about. His new friend was referring to the mystical being called Makuta, the one who seemed to control just about everything on Mata Nui.

A Fikou spider ran up to them then, apparently willing to brave the light of Takua's electric torch. It stood lower than him or Nuparu, about half a bio tall, with legs pushing along the cave walls to bring it towards them. Takua tried swinging the torch, but it had little effect. Next to him, Nuparu threw two hard-shelled Madu at it, striking close to its head. That convinced it to back off down another cave. As common as experiences like that were for Matoran, they managed to remain frightening.

"Well, I don't blame you for being afraid. I don't think anybody would," Takua replied, starting forward once more. "I was afraid, too. Having you along is what made this bearable."

"Thanks," Nuparu smiled. "Oh, take a left here. If you keep going straight the path actually doubles back to the village."

Takua obeyed, leading them down the left cave. "That's another thing. I wouldn't trust myself not to get lost in here without an Onu-Matoran."

Nuparu nodded. "It's easy to do. The upside is that you keep walking, and eventually you'll come out somewhere. The downside…you never know how long that might be. Hey, did you feel that?"

"No. What is it?"

Nuparu pressed his audio receptor against the cave wall, the rocky earth tilting his Kanohi Mask. After a few seconds he answered, "Movement, but it's weird. Doesn't seem like your typical crawler."

"Maybe it's not," Takua said grimly. "Do you think you can track those noises? I still can't hear them."

Nuparu pushed himself off the wall and straightened his mask. "Well, I can feel them better than I can hear them. I'll try." The Onu-Matoran took the firestaff from Takua and took the lead, walking forward a bit more slowly and in a crouched position. The first fork they came to, he second guessed himself and corrected his lead. The next fork, he was more definitive in his choice.

It was down that tunnel that Takua spoke up, "Now I can feel it, too." Small vibrations in the ground were coming from up ahead, where the tunnel branch ended in a room-like cavern. Nuparu turned the torch off to douse their light and leaned around the entryway to get a look inside. Takua dropped to his hands and knees and crawled forward, viewing the area underneath Nuparu.

The room only had a couple of lightstones embedded in its ceiling, but Nuparu's whisper confirmed, "There's Whenua! He's in some kind of cage."

Takua squinted, adjusting his eyes to the darkness as much as he could. Under the farthest lightstone, at the back of the expanse, he could see the earth elder imprisoned like Nuparu had described. His arms were draped through the bars and his Drillstaff was out of reach. His black and grey armor matched the general hues of the Onu-Matoran. Though Turaga were generally taller than Matoran, he looked to be about the same height, if only a little taller.

The picture of Whenua was suddenly blackened out, then visible again. Something had passed in front of him in the room. "What was that?" Takua asked.

Nuparu's reply came as a mutter: "So the rumors were true…"

The shape moved in front of Whenua again, still indistinguishable. As it doubled back this time, though, it turned underneath the light of the other lightstone. That allowed Takua to see just what it was that was pacing around the cavern, patrolling dutifully in front of the Turaga. It was a hulking form with a head and arms, but moved on a pile of rock from the waist down. Spines protruding from its back rippled as it patrolled the cavern, and it was easily one-and-a-half to two bio tall.

"Vatuka?" Takua asked.

Nuparu nodded.

"Any ideas?"

"What weapons do you have?"

Takua fished through his small carry bag, picking out the items as he listed them off, "Some nice-sized rocks, several Madu, and two Madu Cabolo."

"If we work together, we might be able to do this," Nuparu said, a bit surprised.

"You use a flare first, I'll throw weapons at it," Takua planned. "Hopefully, that gives one of us enough time to get to the Turaga."

Counting down together, the two Matoran ran forward into the cave, causing the Vatuka to turn upon them and immediately engage. Its arms reached out for them and its face of rock twisted into a bellow. But before it got close enough to physically attack either of them, it did something else. A different roar emanated from the center of rocks that constituted its being as it raised its arms. In response, smaller rocks from around the cave moved to conglomerate and form smaller rock creatures bearing the likeness of the large Vatuka. With three of the small ones built, all four rock entities mounted their attack.

"Now what?" Takua asked, looking to his friend.

But Nuparu was already charging into frightening battle, too. "Stick to the plan!" he yelled, triggering a bright flare from the firestaff.

The light seemed to hit them like a physical attack, making them reel back and delay their attack on Nuparu. The Vatuka itself wavered but continued, causing it to face hurled rocks from Takua. One might think that throwing rocks at a creature made of them wouldn't be very effective…and one would be right. The Vatuka charged on through the onslaught where a Fikou, Jaga, or Rama would have been deterred.

Seeing the lack of effect, and doubting regular Madu would have a better result, Takua made the decision to use his Madu Cabolo. He flung one at it, hitting just to the left of its core. The impact disturbed the unstable composition inside the unripened Madu, causing it to explode. The Vatuka keeled backward as its rocks either fragmented or separated. The smaller creatures were coming back, but ordinary Madu were enough to knock them apart temporarily.

"Takua!" Nuparu called near Whenua's prison.

"Mata Nui, am I glad to see you two!" Whenua cried.

Takua ran over. "That thing is pretty strong. I really doubt I stopped it."

"No. It will reform soon and pursue you as intruders again," Whenua answered.

Nuparu knelt, bent, and examined the prison. "I've been looking over this cage's design, but I can't find a way in! Rocks and fruit won't damage it, but a Madu Cabolo might hurt Whenua."

Takua noted Whenua's staff, particularly the mining drill on the end. "How about this?"

Nuparu took the staff and traded Takua for the firestaff. "Can you hold off the Vatuka a little longer?"

Takua nodded. "Good luck." Then he ran back to the cavern's center. He started with another light flare to stun the minions of the Vatuka, then opened up with his weapons.

"Stand back, Turaga," Nuparu said, readying the tool. "I'm getting you out of there!" He activated Whenua's Drillstaff and the drill began spinning.

Whenua backed up from the cage's bars, alloying Nuparu the safe space to destroy two. When the mangled structure had enough space, Whenua squeezed out, gently receiving his staff from the Onu-Matoran. "Excellent work, Nuparu," he praised.

Nuparu turned to the cave, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Takua! Whenua's free! We can get out of here!"

"I'm glad you think so…" Takua muttered, ducking underneath a sweep of the rock monster's arm. He just needed enough room between himself and it… Finally, he managed to lead it into a corner and dash out at the last moment. The Vatuka, struggling to turn as fast as a little Matoran, was caught for just a moment. That time gave Takua the opportunity and distance to use another Madu Cabolo. The blast from the explosion disabled the Vatuka and brought the cave wall down on it.

Takua ran to meet the two earth-dwellers, who were halfway across the cave already. Using the torch to light their way, the three ran for a long while before stopping to catch their breath.

"Onu-Koro will be indebted to you both," Whenua said graciously. He turned to Nuparu's companion. "But who is this brave Ta-Matoran that has come to the aid of Onu-Koro?"

Takua put a hand to his chest and gave a nod of respect. "I'm Takua, the one you sent for."

Behind his Kanohi Mask, Whenua's features lit up. "Ah, yes! How serendipitous it is that you should be the one to help rescue me! Let us leave this place and discuss our business in the comfort of my hut in Onu-Koro."

Whenua started back toward the village, but stopped. "Here, young ones, tend to yourselves," he said, obtaining two objects from a travel satchel and handing them to the Matoran. He chuckled, "You more than deserve it, and I'd hate to have to carry you back."

The earth elder was handing them Amana Volo Spheres—small blue globes of energy that acted as an accelerated medicine, capable of restoring biological wellness on several levels. Instead of ingestion, it was consumed through physical osmosis.

"Thank you, Turaga." Takua smiled and accepted the reciprocation, applying it to his heartlight. The energy contained within it immediately helped his muscles and lungs feel better. Nuparu's posture showed that he felt similar.

The Turaga of Earth smiled. "Those are prudent things to carry when dealing with Makuta's Rahi. Now, then, I don't know about you two, but I am ready to go home."


	5. Chapter 4

A copious sense of peace fell on Onu-Koro with Whenua's return. Every Onu-Matoran around waved, gave a welcome, or expressed their relief. All were quick to spread word of their leader's rescue. The first thing Whenua did was help Onepu direct the village's defenses, so they wouldn't be caught by a second Rahi attack. The second thing he did, once those forces were in place was publicly recognize Takua and Nuparu's bravery.

When the Matoran returned to their homes and workplaces, the Turaga turned to Takua. "I would like to speak with you in my hut, urgently."

Takua nodded, but spoke first with Nuparu. "Thank you for your help. I couldn't have done that without you."

"Same here," Nuparu replied, shaking Takua's hand before leaving.

Takua then followed Whenua to his home near the center of the village. In the comfort of the dwelling, Takua sat upon a stool at a small table, both made out of a carved, deep purple-colored ore. The material's allure definitely qualified it for the dwelling of the village elder, but Takua found without delay that the legs on his seat weren't exactly equal, causing it to wobble when he moved. It was surprisingly comfortable, though, so it would do.

Whenua, meanwhile, had been fishing through a tool chest and found whatever he had been looking for. He walked over to Takua, handing him a light-blue metal contraption, similar in color to Takua's secondary armor. The object had a handle and trigger attached to the main rectangular body; its nose ended with a stout barrel.

"This is a Volo Lutu," Whenua explained. "It is a device to help with traversing all kinds of terrain—rivers, canyons, and more. I think you may find some uses of your own for it, soon. It fires a spherical projectile that latches onto a surface. Once that happens, you can hit another control to have the launcher pull you to the point of the projectile. With enough momentum, you can launch yourself passed the point of impact. It should be helpful when you are travelling the island wilds."

"It's very neat," Takua commented, first studying the Volo Lutu, then placing it next to his stool. "But…why give it to me?"

Whenua smiled as he took a chair opposite to Takua, relaxing from leaning on his staff for support and letting it fall limply to the side of his hand. His chair did not wobble. "That, Takua, has to do with why I sent for you to come to Onu-Koro in the first place: I have a mission for you."

Takua blinked in a mix of surprise and confusion. "A mission…?" he repeated.

Whenua nodded solemnly. "It is a time of great danger that we are in, as you well know and can testify—the island of Mata Nui is under siege by the evil Makuta. Dangerous beasts roam the land, and every village on Mata Nui is in danger. Word has spread that Onu-Koro was not the only village to lose its elder…I have received news that my fellow Turaga are missing, as well."

"That's terrible!" Takua thought back to the confusion and vulnerability of Onu-Koro without its Turaga—now the other villages would be in similar states, all at once. "What can be done?"

Whenua took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It seemed to be a mixture of anxiety and peace—fulfillment. "Through the darkness, legends and prophecies have aligned, showing that it is time for the Matoran to enter a new age," he replied. "The time of defenselessness and fear is about to end. It is time for the Toa to arrive—these long centuries of patient advent are over! When the Toa come, they shall bring an end to this Dark Time of oppression and hiding."

Takua was amazed. Every Matoran had heard the legends of the mythical beings called "Toa" and their prophesied arrival, but they had been telling those stories for so many centuries, it was hard to believe it coming true now. For a while, he was stunned. "Well…what's going to happen?"

"The six Toa Stones hidden across the island of Mata Nui must be collected and brought to the Kini-Nui, at the center of the island," Whenua answered. "There, the mystical energies of the temple will activate the stones, summoning our warriors to the island from wherever they may be in slumber." Whenua paused before driving the point. "You, Takua, have been appointed to this task."

Takua, who had been fidgeting on the wobbly stool, almost fell over. "What? Me?" He wasn't sure where to start. "Turaga, I'm nobody. I've even lost status within my own village. I can't do something as important as this!"

"You have already proven your courage by helping to rescue me from the Vatuka, something the Onu-Matoran either did not believe in or thought impossible," Whenua answered. "That experience will make most other Rahi in Onu-Wahi seem less threatening by comparison."

Takua thought for a moment. He hadn't seen himself as heroic, just that he wanted to help. It was only acting with Nuparu that had given him the courage to do what was needed.

"If the Toa Stones are not recovered, the Legend of Mata Nui will not see fulfillment," Whenua continued. "Mata Nui has called you upon this path. Though you cannot see the reason or result now, you must trust the Great Spirit. Your Matoran brothers and sisters are depending now upon you to bring us our saviors."

"Then…I'll do my best," Takua said finally. He felt honored, but poorly qualified. _Just like Onu-Koro needed Whenua, I'll bring the Toa for the good and safety of Mata Nui, _he told himself. "What do I have to do?"

Whenua smiled and got up from his chair, beckoning for Takua to join him. "Mata Nui will show you good fortune for your obedience," he said, leading them both to a comprehensive map of Onu-Koro and the surrounding tunnels. "You must seek out the Earth Toa Stone in the passageways north of here," he instructed, indicating the branch he intended with the tip of his staff. "The Stone was hidden somewhere in there long ago, and now is the time for it to be found. The Volo Lutu should ease this journey."

Takua had almost forgotten about the tool the Turaga had described, but looking back at it now, leaning against his stool, he understood why Whenua gave it to him.

At that moment, another Onu-Matoran burst into the elder's hut. Takua recognized him as Onu-Koro's Vuata Maca Tree keeper. Stumbling inward, he quickly straightened himself. "Forgive me, Turaga," he said with a bow. "I didn't know you already had company, but I must speak with you!"

"No fault has been wrought, Kito," Whenua said amiably. "What is the problem?"

"Our Vuata Maca Tree has become badly poisoned," Kito replied. "It is now red and withered, when it should be glowing and full of life! Our village rejoices with your return, Turaga, but now with our loss of power we are once again at a disadvantage against the Rahi." The tree keeper glanced at Takua. "Hey, I saw you and Nuparu return with our Turaga from the east tunnels. Maybe you can help!"

Before Takua could protest, Whenua turned to him. "Yes, I agree. The Vuata Maca crystals that the tree uses to thrive are also found in the northern tunnels. It would not be inconvenient for you to obtain two while you search for the Toa Stone."

"Alright, then, Turaga," Takua acquiesced. "I'll keep my eyes open for them."

"Did you say Toa?" Kito asked. "As in, the Legend of Mata Nui? Those Toa?"

"Yes, friend. I and my brothers and sister to believe the legend is nigh," Whenua confirmed.

"That's incredible," the tree keeper breathed, "and good timing. We need them now more than ever."

"Yes, we do," Whenua restated. He turned back to Takua. "You are noble to have accepted all this on our behalf. We thank you, and send you with good wishes, eager for your return."

Kito's hands were now clenched into excited fists. "You can do it!"

With that, Takua smiled, picked up his Volo Lutu, and left Whenua's hut, working northward through Onu-Koro toward his second adventure. It was hard to ignore the sense of peace that naturally came to the village now that it had its leader back. Matoran were less worried and the guard was less frantic, even with the recent loss of power.

Despite the outskirts of the village remaining mostly Rahi-free, Takua struggled to fight off the discomfort that accompanied leaving behind the civilization. As the dwellings and Matoran became more sparse, the number of lightstones, too, diminished to a minimal count as he approached the northern tunnels. He paused at the circular opening, feeling reminiscent of his conversation with Nuparu in front of the eastern tunnels. Why hadn't he thought to seek him out and bring him along? Was it careless or overconfident behavior? Should he return to ask for help?

That seemed to make sense. After all, one expedition in Onu-Wahi hardly made a resident of Ta-Koro an expert on the area. But still, he got the sense that whoever had given him this task had given it to him for a reason. With that thought, he brandished his firestaff. The tool brought warmth and light, and with them, reassurance. Readying some Madu in his off-hand, Takua proceeded into the tunnels.

X X X

Takua was no miner when it came to underground networks, but even he could tell that these paths were not as regulated as those in the east from which he had rescued Whenua. Cracks were wide and ledges were as tall as he was; he had to climb up and down facets as much as walk the trail to progress. The result was a more time-consuming and arduous endeavor.

He came across one chasm that was larger than the others, with no way around and too long to jump. A flare from the firestaff allowed him to see across the fissure. The flash of light revealed one prominent stalagmite on the other side. _That stalagmite might work well as an anchor point for the Lutu,_ he thought.

He fumbled his equipment in his hands, producing the launcher and taking aim where he had seen the rock spike. A pull of the trigger gave a sound and sent a red sphere flying from the tool straight forward, where it disappeared into the darkness. A second sound meant that the projectile stuck to the stalagmite.

"Alright, so now I just retract and hold on tight…" Takua mumbled nervously. He took a step closer to the edge and slung the firestaff to his back. Closing his eyes tightly, he triggered the retraction control. The launcher (carrying a terrified Matoran) flew to the unmovable point of contact across the gap. When the launcher came close to the target, the sphere returned to it.

"Haha! Whoo!" Takua exclaimed, exhilarated. "That was…surprisingly fun!" After that first experience, reusing the Volo Lutu wasn't so daunting, and Takua quickly began making faster pace through the caves. The only hindrances were fending off small Jaga scorpions and Fikou spiders with Madu.

Soon, Takua reached the inner bowls of the mines, evident by the slight increase in lightstones. Takua approached one of the walls, running his hand over the rock. Using his powered firestaff to help provide closer light, he searched for the distinctive Vuata Maca Crystals. Thankfully, it didn't take a miner to identify them—not only were there Vuata Maca trees in every village, and so all Matoran were familiar with their crystals, but they had a distinguishable size and green color. As Whenua had said, it didn't take long to gather two.

_There. Now the village will have power again, _he told himself as he put the crystals away in his travel bag. _That just leaves the Toa Stone. _He turned from the wall, faced with exactly what he expected—the underground. Taking another path, he muttered, "I hate tunnels…"

Even as a wanderer, Takua was starting to get tired of this scenery. It was so enclosed, so dark. This new tunnel had very little light and was only about two bio wide and two bio tall (or nine feet wide by nine feet tall). His monotonous journey gave rise to carelessness. A Jaga shrieked and jumped out at him from a crack in the side wall, ready to drive the stinger on its tail through his armor. "Ahh!" Takua yelled, jumping back, frightened. Instinctively, he threw a Madu at the Rahi creature.

Only he had made a mistake: he _thought _it was a Madu…it was a Madu Cabolo.

The accidental explosion rocked the entire tunnel, raining rocks down all around Takua. He covered his head with his arms and tried to avoid the falling hazards. When the barrage stopped, got up and brushed the dust off his armor. "Stupid!" he spat. "By Mata Nui, this is the last time I'll—" He stopped when he noticed something revealed by the Cabolo's explosion. The crack from which the scorpion had crawled was now blown open, showing the existence of another chamber inside.

Takua entered and, as he did, the ever-present light from his firestaff lit up a pedestal. On the structure was a slightly conical object resting on its base with a rounded-off tip at the top. A small indentation bisected the stone vertically, and at half its height a symbol had been engraved: three dots created a diagonal line, with the center bigger than the other two, and a double-rounded curve on each side surrounded that line, completing and framing the image. The object's material and surface were inexplicably smoother than any carved stone he had seen before. It also glowed with a soft black aura.

"The Earth Toa Stone," Takua guessed. It had to be—this sacred of an item, in this hidden of a place? Takua took the stone, noting how light yet durable it felt. Putting it away, he turned from the chamber and carefully retraced his steps back to Onu-Koro.

X X X

Delivering the two Vuata Maca Crystals to Kito was the first thing Takua did upon returning to the earth village.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Kito rambled, taking the two crystals and inserting them into niches in the tree's trunk. When they were in place and the Onu-Matoran backed away, the crystals glowed brighter to the point where they were no longer visible, and the color of the tree's trunk changed from withered red-orange back to a lively green once more. The crystals' places pulsated with energy, and the ends of the branches curled around spheres of energy that would eventually mature into Vuata Maca fruit.

"Many thanks to you, my friend." The voice came from Whenua, coming over to commend Takua and pat him on the shoulder. He observed the Vuata Maca's restoration of power. "The village of Onu-Koro is indebted to you for your service; you are welcome here among us."

Takua gave a small bow. "I'm glad I was able to help." He reached into his bag and pulled out his accidental find, holding it out to Whenua. "I also found this. I'm guessing this is the Earth Toa Stone?"

Whenua's eyes widened at the sight and took a step toward it, hands gently outstretched. "Yes. That is what will summon our protector to us. It's been so long…" he breathed. As Takua put the stone back away, the Turaga continued. "It appears your future is falling into place. Word has spread that Makuta's servants have attacked all the villages at once. Makuta's Rahi have strategically robbed the villages of their power, through the Vuata Maca and Turaga leaders. As such, I must now send you immediately to the assistance of Ga-Koro. If you go to the east tunnel system, near where I was captured, and go south, you will emerge on the edge of the water region."

"Wait, but what about my village?" Takua wondered. "I should return home; if danger is so close, I need to return to safety!"

"You have accepted your destiny, my friend," Whenua replied. "You are armed with weapons and tools, knowledge and courage. Makuta will be expecting the Matoran to keep to their own kind. I am counting on you to break the status quo and turn the tide. Find the crystals, rescue my brothers and sister."

Takua took a deep breath. "I'll go, Turaga."

"While in Ga-Wahi, continue your own duty as well—find the Water Toa Stone. Your duty requires you to know the island of Mata Nui keenly, and generosity with the other villages is one way to achieve this."

Kito spoke up. Takua, a little ashamed, almost forgot he was there, too. "If you helped us, I'm sure you can help the others," he offered.

Takua smiled and nodded at the two. With nothing more to say, he left them. On the eastern side of the village, near the tunnels Whenua mentioned, he paused to observe an expansive field area on a lower tier of rock. An observation fence separated the drop-off to the lower tier, and by the fence was a black and purple Onu-Matoran.

The Matoran noticed him walking by. "Hello, there, Takua."

"Hi. How do you know me?" Takua asked, coming over.

"Oh, I heard about when you rescued Turaga Whenua," the Matoran answered. "My name is Onepu, and I am the Captain of Onu-Koro's military, so I know much about our Turaga and the goings-on in our village." He gestured down to the field, where Matoran riding the large Ussal crabs engaged in drills and exercises. "Right now, my soldiers are training. If more Rahi come, we'll be ready."

"Glad to hear it," Takua said, "but I must be going. Whenua said the other villages have fallen under attack. I am going to see what I can do about that, starting with Ga-Koro. But maybe someday I'll return to Onu-Koro."

"Maybe," Onepu said, nodding and shaking Takua's hand. "You're welcome here anytime. Good luck."

With that, Takua entered through the tunnel toward Ga-Wahi.


	6. Chapter 5

The first sight that greeted Takua at the end of the tunnel was the vast landscape of Ga-Wahi, a testament to the efficiency of the subterranean highway. The tunnels might not extend through or into the region, but they sure got a traveler close. He paused to take the refreshing sights in, once again appreciating the diversity of Mata Nui that other Matoran seemed to take for granted. Satisfied, he started down the path.

Ga-Wahi was a large and mostly submerged region located on the eastern side of the island of Mata Nui. From his vantage, Takua could see the edge of Naho Bay, a large inland lake which took up the majority of the area. Naho Bay was surrounded by towering white cliffs, cliffs out of which Takua was emerging now. From the cliffs above the bay, he could see the village of Ga-Koro far below.

The island of Mata Nui as a whole had many different ecosystems across it, but even within this region, diverse elements coexisted. The coastlines were long, sandy beaches surrounded by very tall and steep cliffs of white rock. The rest of the area was split between plains with plentiful vegetation and thick jungle, though it was not as thick and the trees were not as large as those found in Le-Wahi. One globally common trait across Ga-Wahi, however, was a high humidity.

Takua encountered multiple Rahi running rampant about the footpaths. Grasshopper-like creatures known as Cliff Bugs fluttered and jumped about, several inches in size. They were nothing more than an annoyance, but served as a distraction for Fikou to try to bite and attack. Being smaller creatures, Takua was able to defeat the Cliff Bugs easily with Madu and the larger Fikou by flinging hard rocks. He found them to be relatively fiercer than the Rahi in Onu-Wahi—these Rahi were far swifter than the underground creatures. The firestaff didn't seem to stagger them as much either, but being sun-dwellers, that made sense.

The Volo Lutu continued to be of use, though, navigating the cliffs and chasms of Ga-Wahi similar to those in Onu-Wahi. Takua used it on trees or stone outcroppings to circle around the cliffside perimeter of Naho Bay in the direction of the water village. At last, after a long trek and a couple of near falls, he arrived at the outskirts of Ga-Koro.

The village was situated just off the shore of the bay, in the northeastern portion of the island of Mata Nui, surrounded by whirlpools and strong currents that occasionally made sea travel treacherous. Those were enough to keep most others away, resulting in only a few travelers. Ga-Koro was mainly built on top of huge floating pads growing from the seabed. Harakeke plants and bamboo could grow from these pads, and some Ga-Matoran kept floating Harakeke gardens outside their huts. The huts themselves were made from a thick seaweed material, and the various pads were connected by walkways made from a similar material, with one connecting to a gate on the beach. It was that gate that Takua now approached.

"You cannot enter," a Ga-Matoran guard stated, stopping Takua in his attempt to cross the threshold.

"But I've been sent by Turaga Whenua," Takua explained to her. "He heard that your Vuata Maca tree is destitute of its crystals and that you are without your Turaga. I'm here to help you. My name is Takua. What's yours?"

The guard frowned. "I'm Vhisola. And it's true that our Vuata Maca tree is badly damaged and Nokama is missing. But you're a foreigner—we can't just give you full access to our village, even at the request of another Turaga. Besides which, you aren't even from Onu-Koro—you're a Ta-Matoran. Explain that."

"Well, I get around a lot," Takua shrugged.

"Not here," Vhisola reiterated, unconvinced.

Takua sighed. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

Vhisola nodded and pointed down a path barely outside of the village's jurisdiction. "The Ga-Matoran will tolerate you if you can take part in our culture. That path will bring you down to the Hura-Mafa River. There, you can earn status in our village through a boat race. By winning against one of our own, we will owe you our respect."

Part of Takua wanted to just give up and go home. The thought of competing in a boat race in order to help the people he was competing against felt unfair, like he shouldn't have to. But, he remembered, the Toa were waiting on him, and the Matoran were waiting on the Toa. That alone, without the Vuata Maca's state and Nokama's disappearance, would be enough to urge him to try.

Suppressing a sigh, Takua left Vhisola, following the dirt walkway she pointed to. Sure enough, it sloped down to a running flow of water. He met another Ga-Matoran there named Marka and explained the situation to her. "Yes, we don't usually let outsiders in our village, especially in dangerous and suspicious times like this," she corroborated. "But if you're really here to help us, then you can prove your respect for our village and nature by winning in a boat race."

"That's what the guard, Vhisola, told me. I decided I'll try," Takua answered, shifting uncomfortably. Ta-Matoran were not exactly known for their exceptional sea-faring skills.

"I'll be your opponent, since I'm already here and the others are protecting the village," Marka said, putting a vest made from wood and flax on Takua. "This sport is called Ngalawa Boat Racing. Maku is the champion, but she isn't here and I don't want to have to bring her out of the village walls." She led Takua to a canoe, helped him in, then got into one of her own. "Besides, you should probably go up against someone a little slower anyway." She started to row away.

"Wait! Where do we go?" Takua called after her. He didn't know if she had forgotten to instruct him on the trajectory, if she was going to come back after doing something, or if she just didn't want him to win. _She seemed nice enough, _he thought to himself, tentatively rowing away from shore. His fears were not necessary, though, as he found Marka around a short bend waiting for him.

"The race won't be a long one," she said as he awkwardly tried to stop his canoe next to her. "We're just going a short distance down the river and then off a branch stream that will lead us back to the start. Ready?"

"Let's just do this…" Takua muttered, already disliking this sport.

Marka counted down and on 'go', the race began. For never having handled a boat or an oar before, Takua considered himself to be doing well at the start. Marka had a much quicker initiation, but by mimicking her pattern of row stroke, Takua managed to keep a constant distance. There was only so fast one Matoran could make a canoe go (at least, that's what he was telling himself).

He did, however, lose space when he tried to navigate his canoe around a series of rocks. He obviously chose the wrong way—in this stretch, the water was shallow and had more obstacles than the open water from before the fork. Takua's row stroke was forced to change to avoid scraping oars against the bedrock and from ramming his canoe into protruding rocks. He finally caught a break when he cruised in an area of faster current than Marka, pulling him ahead of her.

"Nice going, Takua!" Marka called from her boat.

"Thanks!" he said over his shoulder, pounding his oar into the water to find his rhythm again.

"No, I meant you can stop rowing," Marka replied with a giggle. "The race is over." When Takua looked back at her this time, her oar was across her knees and her boat was drifting to shore. "Those rapids pulled you across the finish line. You won." She got out and started pulling her boat back to land.

"Oh. OK." Now Takua was desperately trying to stop himself and get turned enough to bring his boat aground, too. He did, with some on-shore help from Marka. As the two Matoran hoisted his vessel back onto dirt, he looked at her. "Were you taking it easy on me?"

Marka finished tying her boat and moved to help Takua with his, allowing him to stretch the remaining stiffness out of his limbs. She smiled. "A little," she admitted. "The way I see it, if you're here to help, we shouldn't let our pride turn you away. The Ga-Matoran have just been edgy with Rahi lately, but now, they'll have to let you in."

Takua's boat was now finished, too. "Well, thank you."

"No, thank you," Marka replied, handing Takua an unusual red seashell. "Your trophy."

Takua took the evidence and returned to the exterior gate, showing Vhisola the proof. She gave Takua a skeptical look, but nodded and let him through, as she had agreed.

X X X

Takua made an effort to expedite his job in Ga-Koro. _Turaga, Vuata Maca Crystals, and the Water Toa Stone, _he reminded himself. Speaking with the Ga-Matoran confirmed the plights he already knew, but talking with the Matoran named Maku shed some more light on Nokama's situation.

"Yes, it's true that our Turaga is missing and our village vulnerable," she said. "Nokama was captured by a Makika toad—a dangerously poisonous Rahi—that lives in a cave across the harbor."

"Tell me more about it, if you know anything else," Takua requested. He gestured to his armor. "I'm obviously not from around here, and so unfamiliar with the creatures of Ga-Wahi."

"Well, it is odd that a Makika was so far from its home to even begin with," Maku conversed. "They rarely venture out of the caves except to feed, but will viciously defend their territory against any intruders. There aren't a whole lot of natural predators for Makika because of their poisonous skin. They are occasionally captured by Ga-Matoran to extract its venom for trade with the Onu-Matoran and Po-Matoran. The acidic substance is useful to them when mining or tunneling through stone. We've had Le-Matoran barter for it, too, to help them carve out trees and make huts, but that's much less common."

"Wait, so this Rahi is normally something you can hunt and harvest? And one just took your Turaga?" Takua asked.

Maku crossed her arms in thought. "Yeah. This one, though—the one that took Nokama—seemed much more hostile and tough. If you really are going to pursue it you should know: their skin is resistant to Madu. That's why our guard hasn't been able to rescue Nokama, yet."

Takua pulled out a few rocks from Onu-Wahi. "What about these?"

Maku shook her head. "Not likely, with the effect the venom has on chewing through rock. Those might annoy it, but don't count on much more than that."

"Alright. I'm going to try," Takua finished. "Wish me luck, Maku."

X X X

Following Maku's lead, Takua journeyed into the harbor, passing the disrepaired Vuata Maca along the way. Upon leaving the village limits, more Cliff Bugs came at him, threatening to drive him back to the safety of Ga-Koro. Along with them, water Ussal reached out at him, trying to snag him for walking too close to the water's edge and make him a meal.

His biggest surprise, though, were plants that moved at his approach. It had a central stem close to the ground with four leaves spreading outward along the ground. When he stepped near one, the leaves wrapped around his foot and began pulling him toward its center, which changed into a manifolded mouth. He flung rocks and Madu, but the carnivorous plant simply ate them, content to digest them for a while.

Takua pulled out the firestaff. It wasn't a real fire, but its heat and sharp edge were enough to pain the leaves into loosening their grip. Lastly, a Madu Cabolo into its mouth made sure it wouldn't bite anything again. Takua had heard about these plants, called Daikau. Ga-Matoran considered them Rahi, even though they technically were not, due to their vague sentience.

Takua wiped the leaves' slime off his feet on some nearby grass. "_Ulck_…that was unpleasant." In moving to do so, his eyes caught sight of a glimmer of sunlight in some grass off the path. He diverged from the trail to investigate it. Smiling at his luck, he saw it was a Vuata Maca Crystal, one that would help restore the Vuata Maca tree in Ga-Koro. Collecting it, he carried on.

Finally, he made it to the distant harbor. It only took a quick view of the area to find the Makika's cave. Docks, piers, and boats were sights he had expected to see in a Matoran-made environment as an extension of the village. Oppositely, a makeshift cave hollowed out into the cliffside was something that did not belong to the Ga-Matoran. As Takua came near, he noticed a sign that read:

MAKIKA CAVE

CAUTION: RAHI IS IMMUNE TO MADU

"Thanks for the reminder," Takua grumbled to himself. Peering into the darkness of the recess, he saw that the ocean sunlight and reflection of the waves in the harbor meant he would not need the constant light of his firestaff. But he still didn't know how he would defeat the creature if it couldn't be deterred by his most conventional weapon. Changing out his arm's Madu for rocks, he entered the cave.

There wasn't much to see inside. The only two features were the large Makika and Nokama, cornered by the creature. She was sitting, leaning against the cave wall, with her Trident staff out of reach. She looked up to him. The Rahi looked, too.

_Well, there goes any surprise I had… _Takua complained in worry.

But the Rahi didn't come after him or make any offensive move. Tentatively, he edged around the wall of the cave, gradually shrinking the distance between himself and the Rahi. All the while it sat there, watching. It wasn't until he came within three bio of the creature that it responded, lashing out with its long, slimy tongue. Takua just barely leaned out of the way as it shot forward and ducked underneath as it swung at him. Scrambling low to the floor, he got back to his feet and ran to the entrance.

He caught his breath at the cave entrance and turned to face the Rahi, seeing it wasn't pursuing like before, content to simply guard the Turaga. He approached the creature a second time, edging as close as he was able without it attacking him again.

Scanning the area, Takua noticed that the only other objects of interest were a few Matoran-sized boulders. _Those might work, _he thought, coming over to one and making sure he could lift it. _They'll have to do. I don't have much else. _He picked up the boulder. It was heavy and tasking, but not impossible for his mechanical components. He lifted it to about the height of his shoulders, ran, and threw the rock at the toad.

The creature, who had noticed him and ran at him also, was prepared for a Madu impact, not the massive stopping power of the boulder it received. The rock hit the Rahi square in the head. The resulting inelastic collision carried both the boulder and Rahi back about twelve feet before coming to a stunned stop.

Takua, too, was stunned his plan had worked, but he didn't have time to pause now. He raced over to Nokama and helped her to her feet. "Come on!" he encouraged. "I don't know how long that thing will be out of the fight!"

"My leg…" Nokama said, looking down to her right knee. Takua saw, too—whether from the Rahi or the process of being taken from the village, her right leg was twisted beyond walking.

"Your staff…?" suggested Takua, retrieving and handing her the item.

"Can only help so much," Nokama answered, using her Trident to help herself up from where she had been on the ground.

Takua's mind raced. He could try to find another boulder and throw that, but the closest one was the one he had already thrown, and the Makika was still beside it. The others were back at the cave mouth, but the time it would take him to run there and haul one back was too great.

The thought of lifting and carrying boulders gave him a different idea. "Excuse me, Turaga," he said cordially, before lifting Nokama into his arms and rushing the two toward the cave exit. Behind them, the Makika regained its bearings, and started hopping after them.

Takua rounded the bend to the cave's opening at the docks, but he knew he could not outrun such a creature, especially not carrying a Turaga who was taller and heavier than him. He turned around, waiting for it to come after them.

"It will not," Nokama said.

"What?"

Nokama gently pushed herself from Takua's grasp, slowly putting her feet on the ground and leaning on her staff. "It will not pursue us. It is a beast, under the influence of darkness, perhaps…but it is still a beast. Its home was just invaded. Its instinct will be to regain its grip on its turf before coming after me again." She smiled and nodded approvingly over Takua. Even though she was just a head or so taller, the wisdom and experience in her eyes behind her Noble Kanohi made her far more. "Thank you for rescuing me, my new friend. Let us return to Ga-Koro now."

X X X

Nokama limped back the entire way, but she was right—the Makika didn't come after them, and the other Rahi between the harbor and the village were easy enough to avoid or deter. Upon returning to the village, Nokama thanked Takua again with an Amana Volo from her hut. "These are rare," she said, "but needed in situations like this, Takua."

"You know me?" Takua asked, even as he took the gift.

Nokama chuckled. "My brother, Whenua, may have been the one to commence your quest, but it was the Ga-Matoran astrologers and Ko-Matoran scholars who learned that the coming of the Toa is nigh. My astrologers and Turaga Nuju's scholars verified our findings with Turaga Whenua, who is a well-learned studier of the histories of the past. He excitedly agreed with our interpretations and sent word to Ta-Koro for you. Of course, then it simply became a matter of finding you."

"Sorry," Takua said looking down, again somewhat embarrassed by his admiration of sight-seeing.

"No apology necessary," Nokama said, holding up her hands to show Takua she was not reprimanding him. "We owe you our thanks for accepting the task the Great Spirit has put before you. The Matoran might not know of your journey, but the Turaga do. Even those who have been attacked and taken from their people now wait for you."

"Then I will save them, too," Takua said, getting ready to leave.

"While the rescue of the Turaga is of vital importance, do not forget your other agendas," Nokama reminded him. "Each village is also suffering from a loss of power and infrastructure because Makuta has poisoned the Vuata Maca Trees. And, having leadership and power restored will mean very little if the Toa do not arrive soon to maintain the peace…and that will not be achieved without Toa Stones."

"You're right," Takua remembered. "I'll stay in Ga-Koro to finish here first."

"Then you should go to the southern cliffs of Ga-Wahi in search of the Water Toa Stone, where it was hidden centuries ago," instructed Nokama. "Near those cliffs you should find another Vuata Maca crystal for the Ga-Matoran—I noticed you already have one."

Takua thanked her again, accepted the task, and traveled south to the cliffs as she had directed. There, he found more Rahi (expectedly), and did indeed find a second Vuata Maca crystal for their tree, too. On one ledge during his travels, he was sidling up next to the rock face, earning a nice high view over Naho Bay, when some pebbles fell from above.

"Uh-oh," he whispered, expecting an attack from above. Carefully and slowly maneuvering his center of gravity so as not to fall, he looked up to see another ledge he hadn't seen before. Thankfully, there weren't any Rahi ready to spring on him. Aiming his Volo Lutu at the ledge to that outcropping, he fired, and the machine pulled him up.

On this hidden cliff, Takua saw the only thing of interest was an ancient elevator-pulley system that led even higher, to the highest cliff ledge he could see in Ga-Wahi. Taking the unsteady and fragile elevator, he found the Water Toa Stone on a point that overlooked all of Ga-Wahi. It was similar to the Earth Toa Stone—an indent vertically bisected it, it was imprinted with the same symbol, and was generally conical in shape—but its base was a deep blue, and its aura was the blue of the sky over the island.

Takua found it hard to stop admiring the object of both literal and metaphorical hope, but soon forced himself to do so. He returned briefly to Ga-Koro to give the Vuata Maca crystals to the Ga-Matoran tree keeper. He smiled as the tree flourished once again and essences of power sparked in the curves of its branches.

"Thank you for all you have done for the Matoran of Water," Nokama said. "With two villages restored, I believe the island of Mata Nui can make a stand before the Makuta. You will be the one to summon our heroes, those who will awaken Mata Nui from his slumber and return him to will and consciousness. Go now to the neighboring region of Po-Wahi, to complete these things."

Takua bowed in respect to the elder, then left Ga-Koro, travelling to the far north.


	7. Chapter 6

The village of Po-Koro was located in the desert of the far north. And in Takua's personal opinion, the term "neighboring" turned out to be quite misleading. He had expected a small path or road to get to Po-Koro. In actuality, that was not the case. He knew from basic geography of the island where it lay, and it was technically one of the neighboring regions to Ga-Wahi, but his trip still turned out to be much longer and harder than anticipated. Perhaps it was because Po-Wahi (maybe deserts in general?) turned out to be _much_ bigger in person.

Po-Wahi was a large, rocky expanse, located in the central north of Mata Nui. It consisted mainly of the Motara Desert, and canyons and rocks. It had a coastline as well on the northern tip of the island, where Leva Bay was situated. Paths leading to Onu-Wahi and Po-Koro were common, since the area was generally an open one.

After enduring travel through the heat of the Motara Desert for some time, Takua finally came to the dry, stone village of Po-Koro. Near the settlement's border, he found a tool with the words _Whenua's Drill of Onua_ inscribed on the side. It wasn't actually Turaga Whenua's staff (since Takua had just seen him with it in Onu-Koro), it was a replica—an Onu-Matoran mining tool which allowed one to dig and tunnel through the ground with relative ease. He wasn't sure who "Onua" was, though. _Maybe a famous miner? _He guessed.

Next to it was a bamboo disk—another lucky find. Bamboo disks were the primary weapon of the Matoran created as a defense mechanism against the Rahi. Their sharp edge and aerodynamic characteristics made them more effective projectiles than Madu or rocks. Some disks had pictures of Kanohi Masks inscribed onto them, although this was only for ceremonial or decorative purposes. Generally, the Kanohi on a Matoran's disk was that of the prophesied Great Kanohi worn by the patron Toa of that element. Disks were made primarily in Le-Koro, although they were owned by Matoran all over the island. But for a Matoran to have left one out here in the desert meant it was probably forgotten. Shrugging, he reasoned it was a likely guess no one was coming back for the disk or the drill, so he took both and continued onward to the village of stone.

All the structures in Po-Koro were built from rock and sand and were designed to blend in with the surrounding area. Here the Po-Matoran carved stone into intricate forms, which they then traded to other villages for goods they needed. The Po-Matoran loved living in their barren rocky wastelands because they hated water, to the point that most could not swim.

When he began to near the outskirts, he came upon two Po-Matoran outside the village limits. One was stuck under a pile of stones, leaving his Kanohi, hands, and feet the only things left visible. The free Matoran noticed Takua and called to him, "Hey! Help! My Koli partner, Podu, is stuck—I need help getting him out!"

Takua rushed over and began helping to remove the stones, too heavy for one Matoran, even with the higher-than-average strength of a Po-Matoran. "What happened? Rahi?"

Strangely, the two Matoran looked at each other, then answered at the same time.

"No…"

"Yes!"

Takua gave a confused look. Podu looked at his friend, who had blown their cover. The other Matoran said, "Well, you see…he just got a little too wild while practicing his Koli skills. He was practicing high kicks, when he accidentally dislodged several of these rocks onto himself, which trapped him."

Takua nodded as he pushed another rock off. He had heard about Koli, but never really gotten into the sport himself, or watched the teams. The game had been the joint inspiration of Turaga Onewa and Turaga Whenua about 600 years ago. It was meant to settle a clash between Onu-Matoran miners and Po-Matoran carvers after one of the miners negatively commented on the quality of particular carvings.

The Po-Matoran had taken offense at the statement and blamed the miners for poor quality stone. The dispute worsened until rocks, shovels, and hammers started being hurled between the two camps, forcing the Turaga to intervene. In fact, Turaga Onewa's nickname was 'the referee' for his swift decisions and willingness to stand behind them. To settle the conflict, they developed the idea of a competition, according to ten basic rules.

The eleventh rule, or the so-called "New Rule," came into place about a hundred years later when some fields began to suffer from attacks by dangerous Rahi. It clarified that games interrupted by Rahi were to be postponed, rather than a victor called at the time of interruption. The rule was further expanded with the Onu-Koro Addendum after an incident involving the local Ussalry. Takua didn't know all the details of the event or what all ten rules said, just that now there were eleven rules to Koli.

Koli was primarily played in Po-Koro, and the players here tended to take it the most seriously. _As shown by Podu training his kicks against rock walls, _Takua thought to himself.

Podu was free from the rocks now, suffering only minor injuries. His friend helped brush him off and lift him to his feet. "Thank you, traveler," Podu said to Takua. "We're lucky you came by!"

"No problem," Takua returned. "Actually, I'm not just passing through. I'm sent by Turaga Nokama in Ga-Koro to help you find Onewa and restore your Vuata Maca."

The two Po-Matoran exchanged a questioning glance. "Let me get this straight," Podu began. "A Ta-Matoran sent from Ga-Koro to help the Po-Matoran?"

Takua simply nodded.

The two Matoran of Stone began walking, Podu's friend helping to steady him. "Alright then. Come back to the village with us, then." The two Po-Matoran accompanied Takua to Po-Koro on one of the many paths from the desert. The road to Po-Koro's main entrance was known as the Path of Prophecies, and was flanked on either side by six chiseled statues of maskless Matoran heads. Takua looked up at them in awe as the three villagers entered.

Behind its high walls, the people of Po-Koro resided in multiple domed huts hewn from stone, and frequently traded and bartered for goods at the local bazaar. Toward the northwestern corner of the village was its Koli field, which was seldom unused by the athletic enthusiasts. Of course, its use had dropped as more Rahi attacked the village. Now, with Onewa gone, no one was playing Koli.

"Does anyone know where Onewa might be?" Takua asked, helping Podu into the village by carrying the Matoran's left side.

"Not really. And good luck searching an entire desert," Podu's friend spoke up, helping to carry Podu on the right. "A lot of it is flatland, but Rahi can still blend in, hide, and attack."

"If you came from Ga-Koro to the southeast, you had to cross most of the desert to get here," Podu wheezed, interrupted by a cough. "He could be anywhere out there."

Podu took his arm from Takua to turn away. He and his friend would seek medical attention for his injuries. "Then I'll start looking along the paths," Takua said, "and then see if any Rahi can lead me back to him."

"Good luck," the two Po-Matoran extended, before leaving.

Exiting the way he came in, Takua followed other trails through Po-Wahi, searching the surrounding canyons for signs or clues that might lead to Onewa's whereabouts. For quite a while, there wasn't much to see—not even many Rahi. Finally, along one path, he found another abandoned tool. It was some kind of small staff, its head under a pile of stones. Pulling it out, he saw that it was a replica of Onewa's Stone Hammer staff. The Turaga carried it as his tool and badge of office. The replica tool was strong enough to break boulders about the same size as those he had used against the Makika in Ga-Wahi.

Takua smiled. _Finally, something good in this dry place! _In a rocky place such as this, the hammer would significantly widen his search by clearing rock slides or barricades. He kept searching, quickly feeling disappointment come over him again. He had been exploring Po-Wahi for nearly three hours now, with little to show for it.

Near the northern tip of the island, not far from the shores of Leva Bay, he found another small glimmer of excitement. Destroying a rocky barricade over a path revealed a Vuata Maca crystal, one of the two needed to restore Po-Koro's tree. The crystal was embedded among other rocks in a cliff wall, its unique color giving it away. Takua wrenched it free and turned to continue, only to see he was facing the rocky beach of Leva Bay.

"I've come all the way to the end of the island," he muttered, both amazed and frustrated. Aside from the crystal, his search didn't discover anything interesting, and he was not an expert desert navigator. A moment passed. He decided to begin making his way back to familiar territory closer to Po-Koro. It would at least be farther from the Fikou and Jaga in the desert.

Reluctantly, Takua doubled back. However, along the way, he saw a side path in Tiro Canyon that he hadn't seen on the way northward. It was blocked by a few boulders, but the stone hammer broke them down to passable sizes. At the end of the narrow path, his eyes widened to see Turaga Onewa imprisoned in the center of a bowl-like rocky encroachment. Around the incarcerating structure were burrowing Rahi, occasionally surfacing to show snake-like shapes.

"Rockworms," Takua muttered. Although small, rockworms were carnivorous, as well as poisonous. But they were vulnerable to hard impacts thrown by Matoran. Takua charged in, throwing rocks and Madu at the Rahi when they surfaced. They screeched in irritation at the newcomer in their midst and charged at him.

"Watch out!" Onewa called, alerting the Matoran to a rockworm behind him. Takua turned just in time to throw his disk at it, which hit it so hard the creature sailed to the edge of the bowl. He turned back to the other Rahi, which fled in fear.

Stowing his weapons, Takua approached the elder. "Turaga, are you alright?"

"Better now," Onewa responded. "But how to escape? I have my hammer, but not the space to break these bars."

Takua thought for a moment, rummaging through his tools. Pulling out his drill staff, he answered, "Then we won't break them. We'll just move them."

He activated the tool, pointed it at the sandy ground and tunneled underneath. Onewa watched as the tiny mound of sand gave tell of where the Ta-Matoran was. The mound of sand moved from one bar to another, each time shifting the bar upward out of the ground. When the last was upturned, the cage toppled onto its side.

"Bright move!" Onewa complimented, even as Takua resurfaced and brushed the sand off his armor. "I had my doubts when my brothers and sister said you were the one to bring our saviors, but maybe you can, after all."

X X X

The duo returned to Po-Koro without much trouble. Onewa followed suit of the other Turaga, giving Takua an Amana Volo before sending him out again. His search was the same as the other regions: to find a second Vuata Maca crystal to restore the stone village's tree and to find the Stone Toa Stone.

His instruction from Onewa took him to the southern portion of the desert. Fighting past more Fikou, Jaga, rockworms, and Moa birds, he arrived. He could clearly see the Vuata Maca crystal at the back of another sandy flatland surrounded by canyon walls. He could also clearly see that this time, the crystal was guarded by a large, fearsome Rahi.

"A Nui-Jaga," Takua whispered, worried.

Several times larger than the average Jaga, a Nui-Jaga scorpion alone was enough to strike awe in an islander. As a natural creature, they were territorial, but observable if one was careful. But hundreds of years ago, when the Makuta influenced the land and its creatures, Nui-Jaga became among the highest ranking threats to those on Mata Nui.

Now, the Rahi noticed Takua and charged. The blue-and-black six-legged creature snapped its pincers and screeched in aggression. Out of habit, Takua opened by throwing rocks, Madu, and his disk at it, but none seemed to have an effect on the Rahi. He tried the firestaff and hammer next, but still no effect. That left his drill.

_But that's not a weapon, _Takua thought, evading another strike from the creature's stinger tail. The blow instead smashed a large boulder to fragments. _But maybe it still can be…_

Takua backed up against a wall of the valley, readying the drill. The Nui-Jaga cornered him, shoving its stinger forward. Takua burrowed out of the way and underground, causing the stinger to hit the rock wall with full force like the boulder, this time damaging the tip. The creature reared back and stumbled in pain.

_Every little thing counts… _Takua encouraged himself. Underground, he heard the footsteps of its insectoid legs. He positioned himself under the center of its body and sprang up from under the rock and sand. The force of his exit combined with the creature's already lowered guard was enough to flip the creature onto its back, leaving its legs waving in the air. Normally, this creature would use its stinger to right itself, the only appendage with the correct angle to do so. But the damage caused by the impact with the rock face left it in enough pain that the creature was not going to use that. With it effectively trapped, Takua grabbed the Vuata Maca crystal from its spot on an exposed pedestal.

_That's the Vuata Maca crystal, but where is the Toa Stone? _he wondered. He turned back to where the Nui-Jaga lay. Its legs still wavered in the air, protesting its defeat. It started trying to use its pincers, and would succeed before long. With that confirmation, he turned back to the pedestal on which the Vuata Maca had been, noticing a glimmer of light coming from it.

_No, not from the platform, _Takua realized, _something _inside _the platform. _He brought his mask closer to the edifice for a better look. There was a small crack through which a soft glow came, visible in the shadow of the turning evening. A swing of the stone hammer reduced the stalagmite to rubble, revealing that it had held the Toa Stone, glowing with a soft bronze color.

Smiling, Takua quickly left the area to return to the village of stone.

X X X

The beginning of twilight brought Takua back to Onewa's village, where he returned the Vuata Maca crystals. The tree lit up with coils of energy, allowing a liveliness to return to the village's daily activities. He wanted to continue immediately to another village—Le-Koro, he was thinking—but Onewa had refused, saying the desert was too dangerous to travel at night, with tougher Rahi coming out of nocturnal hiding.

"You will stay here for the night, so that we may express our appreciation for your services," Onewa said. "You will resume your work at dawn. But now that we have torch and powered light again, darkness will not confine us to our beds within the village! It's time for a Koli match!" Podu, his partner, and nearly every other Po-Matoran cheered at that.

_Great… _thought Takua. "I can't wait! But I'll, uh…need a refresher on the rules."

Podu approached and began walking Takua to the Koli field. "You'll learn fast," he said. "Teams number anywhere from two to six players, but they all have the same number of members. Everyone agrees on the number of goals to win, and the first team to reach that many goals, wins. Or there can just be a time limit and who has more goals wins. Each team has a defender that guards the goal while the others go after the ball."

"And what if I'm not great at sports," Takua asked, "hypothetically?"

Podu smiled and nodded. "Don't worry. If you knock it into your own goal, it doesn't count. And, if you're the defender you get a shield. All offensive players can use hands, feet, and heads to try to move the ball to the goal. And _that's _when it gets fun!"

"What does? Making goals?" Takua asked, as they neared the field.

"Well, yes, that, too," Podu said. "I meant playing with multiple Koli balls!"

"Excuse me…?"

"Oh! Any number of Koli balls may be played, but balls in play must number less than either the number of teams, or the number of players per team—whichever is smaller. Just try not to strike another player and play well, for you are representing your village!"

The two Matoran (along with a large portion of the village) had reached the Koli field now. Takua followed the crowd's example, placing some extra athletic padding over his gauntlets and shins. "Wait," he said, "so how many teams and players are playing tonight?"

"Four teams, and four _on _each team," Podu said excited.

Takua gulped.

With that, several rounds were played. Takua wasn't the best at the sport, but found that he still enjoyed himself. By the end of the night, he was exhausted, from Koli almost as equally as his exploits in helping the villages and fighting Rahi. The literal rock bed wasn't what he would have preferred, but his fatigue still helped him sleep long, if not perfectly. And in the end, it wasn't very different from what he had back in Ta-Koro.

At sunrise, he resumed his journey (with some sore muscles), moving south to the jungle of Le-Wahi, beginning the next part of his mission.


	8. Chapter 7

Takua decided that Po-Wahi and Le-Wahi have more in common than the average Matoran might think: they're huge. Po-Wahi's desert took up the central region of the north and covered most of the northeast, but Le-Wahi's expanse encompassed the entire southern half of the island. The area consisted mainly of the Fau Swamp to the west, the Kumu Forest in the central south, and open jungle everywhere else. The counter-clockwise curvature of the island's southern tip embraced Kanae Bay, which fed into Lake Kanae and the smaller Lake Pala. As the southern tip of Mata Nui became smaller as it jutted out into the sea, it formed the series of Kumu Islets, the last visible pieces of land before the endless ocean beyond.

Like the other realms of the island, their expansiveness meant that tools were sometimes left behind or forgotten. This time, Takua stumbled across a Ko-Matoran tool along one of the many jungle paths. The spiked head perpendicular to the length of the rod looked like a replica of Turaga Nuju's Ice Pick. A bit of experimentation showed that by using smaller Vuata Maca Crystals as a power source, it created small, temporary pillars of ice. It wasn't a weapon, and Takua wasn't sure what it was normally used for, but he quickly found that it did work nicely in conjunction with the Volo Lutu; it gave him an at-will structure to latch onto for travel. The combination of tools helped to accelerate his arrival in Le-Koro.

The sight of the village reminded Takua that one way Le-Koro differed from the other villages was that there were no gates to mark the outskirts as one approached the village. Instead, the first line of defense for the village was admittance's difficulty. The village's structures, which were made from the organic materials of the forest, were suspended high above the forest floor, and away from Rahi.

The treetops in which Le-Koro was located grew near Lake Kanae. The Matoran of Air lived in huts which resembled beehives, collectively disguising the village to look like hanging jungle vegetation. Some huts were affixed to large trees, hanging from the top or side of the dwelling, while others were supported on the bottom by makeshift catwalks connecting one home to another.

Moving about the settlement, Takua saw the familiar sights of a withered Vuata Maca tree and the Le-Koro military mounting scattered defenses. He quickly asked a passing Le-Matoran musician named Sanso for clues on the Air Turaga's whereabouts. The conversation revealed that he had last been seen east of the village before being taken by the Rahi of the forest. Moving that way, Takua reminded himself that Matau was known for being calm in a crisis. He was famous all over the island for his sense of humor.

_Maybe his demeanor can help destress me, too, _the Matoran hoped. The wear of fighting Rahi, traveling around the island for weeks, and weight of his mission was starting to take its mental and physical tolls. The Amana Volo produced by the restoration of the Vuata Maca crystals helped keep him going. _Then let's go get restoring._

Coincidentally, Takua found two Vuata Maca crystals whilst heading eastward—two of his queries already found, and one of his objectives already completed. _Now to keep looking for Matau, _he thought, ready to find more good fortune.

Takua took two more steps and was promptly snatched off the ground in the talons of a mother Kewa bird. The winged Rahi was a cross between an eagle and a vulture, and bore a distant cousinhood with the more famous Kahu windfowl. As Takua screamed, it took him high into the air to fly over the canopy of Le-Wahi. _If there wasn't a threat of my life ending, this would be great! _he thought, unsure as to whether he should struggle to get free.

The Kewa flew to its nest in a tall tree, where its young Kewa rested. It didn't drop Takua in when they got there, but he did see that Matau was trapped in the nest with them. "Turaga!" he called.

"Oh! So the wind-scavenger took-claimed you, too!?" Matau replied in the unique jungle dialect, as Takua soared past.

_Not for long,_ Takua told himself, recognizing his landing zone. He fought the bird's flight with his tools (the Ice Pick being the most effective since its cold constructs were foreign to the creature) and got it to release him, dropping him into the nest with Matau and the young Rahi. "You alright?" he asked.

"Fine-well, just dark-trapped!" Matau replied.

Takua looked over the edge of the twiggy nest. "I think a careful climb and my Volo Lutu should give us a safe descent."

"Then let's go, quick-fast!" Matau implored, coming over to the edge. "Mother-bird returns!"

Takua looked up to see the parent Kewa swooping back down to claim him, the Turaga, or both. Startled, he and Matau grabbed hold of each other and jumped over the side of the bowl. Just as the pair apexed over the ledge, Takua fired the Lutu and stuck the projectile onto the edge. As they fell, he triggered its retraction mechanism sporadically, giving them a safe—if bumpy—trip back down to the jungle floor.

"Smart-luck! High-praise, young islander!" Matau cheered. "But we're not home-gone yet. Follow me back to high-home Le-Koro."

X X X

When Takua and Matau returned, Le-Koro's transformation imitated the other villages'. The Vuata Maca crystals helped restore the village back to a lively and productive state; and the presence of their elder rejuvenated the village's organization and peace.

Takua followed Matau back to his hut, a large dwelling built into a tree. "Words go little-short to say thank you," Matau said. "So I will give you a help-gift instead." The Turaga of Air brought over a Matoran tool that replicated his staff's usefulness. He carried a Kau Kau Staff, a buzzsaw used to clear out jungle growth faster than a simple blade. "This should help you way-find your next goal: the Toa-hero Stone."

Taking it, Takua answered, "Thanks. Any idea where it might be? It would take me a century to search all of Le-Wahi!"

Matau nodded. "You must hard-search for the uptree with the stone-loot. It will be deep-in and guard-lodged by piece and lock in the south-low Kumu."

Being a foreigner to Le-Koro, Takua could usually keep up with the Air residents' unique dialect known as 'treespeak'. But that last bit had dropped some of its clarity on him. However, too embarrassed to ask the revered Turaga to repeat it, Takua simply nodded after an awkward second and left.

Still, armed with the general idea of what the Turaga had said, Takua knew what he was looking for when he found it: a set of four mechanical gears integrated into the side of a tree trunk in the southern portion of the Kumu Forest. Fitting the gears together in the proper order allowed the mechanism to open and revealed the Air Toa Stone, hidden there so long ago yet still glowing a light green. Takua returned to Le-Koro with the stone, and then crossed the island's regional border into the snowy expanses and mountains of Ko-Wahi.


	9. Chapter 8

The island province of Ko-Wahi rested in the central west of Mata Nui, its most prominent feature being Mount Ihu—the tallest point on the entire island. The region's territory began in the north where the foothills of the mountain joined the caves of Onu-Wahi and ended in the south where the jungle climate of Le-Wahi overtook. To the east, past Mount Ihu, the mountain merged into the Mangai Volcano, the two peaks separated by the North March land fault.

Ice and snow covered the entire region, fittingly for the Wahi of ice; the mountain was largely inhospitable, with only a few species of Rahi being able to successfully survive there. It often experienced fierce storms that made it impossible to travel, either by foot, Gukko bird, Ussal crab, or Cable Car. Among the more dominant features of Ko-Wahi were two massive glaciers, separated by a block of ice underneath which the ice village, Ko-Koro, hid.

Enormous crevasses dotted the surrounding mountains, into which a traveler could disappear forever, similar to how the Ko-Matoran themselves were master trackers and trap-builders. As Takua was finding out, the last bit of information on Ko-Wahi was that it was hard to get _anywhere._

_I should've picked up some snow shoes in one of the other village's bazaars,_ went his grumbling thoughts as he forced his legs through the shin-deep snow. His legs ached and his muscles were shivering by the time he got to Ko-Koro.

Between the outskirts and the heart of the village, Takua passed a group of Ko-Matoran engaged in a Huai Snowball Sling—a popular sport in Ko-Koro in which participants threw snowballs at each other until only one player remained. Like Koli for the Po-Matoran, the Ko-Matoran took it seriously (of course, they took _everything _seriously); winners of this competition could receive a Copper Mask of Victory in official games, one of the greatest athletic and competitive trophies for a Matoran. More practically, though, the sport helped train their accuracy and handling in defense…or so they said.

_That's probably what they're actually doing now, _Takua realized. _With their Turaga gone, they're just using what they know to teach themselves and train._

Ko-Koro had a single gate facing a massive crevasse, which was guarded at all times. Inside the village, the Matoran lived either in huts made of ice on the ground, or in rooms carved into the glaciers that surrounded the village on all sides. Making his rounds to talk to the Matoran of Ice, he learned that the village was attacked by Rahi which then took Nuju into the Drifts, also known as the Wastes. The area was a particularly harsh region of Mount Ihu, which always seemed to have colder temperatures and higher winds. _But, to save their lost leader, I'll go, _Takua committed.

Similar to Po-Wahi's expansiveness and heat, it took Takua two to three hours to find Nuju in the large and freezing region. The Turaga of Ice was guarded by Rahi, but he was holding a Vuata Maca crystal. The Rahi around him were small ones, easily deterrable with thrown objects, so long as they hit their mark. Takua did just that, driving them away from the elder.

"Turaga Nuju, I've been sent to help rescue you!" Takua called as the last Rahi fled. "I see you already have one of the two Vuata Maca crystals—good job! Ko-Koro will have power again very soon."

Nuju simply nodded, picked up his Ice Pick Staff, and walked to join Takua, though he did not say anything.

"Turaga…? Are you alright?"

The elder looked at the Matoran, then turned to walk away. He beckoned for Takua to follow, and the uncomfortable Matoran obeyed.

X X X

Takua followed Nuju all the way back to Ko-Koro and into the Sanctum, one of the settlement's most famous buildings, housing ancient prophecies and inscriptions for the Ko-Matoran to study and decipher. There, Nuju met with a Ko-Matoran. "Turaga!" the Matoran called, rushing to greet him. "I'm so glad to see you back safely! Is this your rescuer, then? Is this Takua?"

Nuju nodded, then he made some weird noises that sounded like clicking and whistling. More surprising, the villager nodded and turned to Takua. "He says thank you for your bravery and work toward your duty."

Takua, confused, only managed, "Alright."

The Ko-Matoran chuckled. "Allow me to explain. My name is Matoro. Turaga Nuju does not speak the Matoran language, except in dire emergencies. Instead he communicates in his own language, which I have mastered as his Matoran translator. We are almost always together, but I couldn't stop the Rahi that took him when they attacked. I…I was too afraid and too weak."

Nuju patted Matoro's shoulder and nodded, clicking twice, forgiving the burden. The Turaga then retrieved a tool nearby and gave it to Takua. Speaking in his own language, Matoro translated after: "This tool is a crafted duplicate of Turaga Nokama's Trident. The Trident can launch small water projectiles. Nuju hopes it will help you fend off Rahi when Madu, rocks, or disks might fail."

"Thanks," Takua said. "It'll be useful to have another weapon for my search for the Ice Toa Stone and other Vuata Maca crystal." He started to leave when Nuju stopped him.

The elder clicked and whistled, Matoro listening and occasionally nodding. Then the Ko-Matoran turned back to Takua. "He says we need you to locate something else for us while you are in the Wastes. The Element of Melting, a crystal which allows the villagers of Ko-Koro to melt ice to obtain fresh, pure water, is also gone."

"Then I'll find that, too," Takua assured with a nod. "You two stay in the village and do what you can to repair the damage from Nuju's disappearance."

A hasty departure from the relative warmth of the village meant Takua was back to suffering through the cold and biting snowfall of the mountains. After enough searching, a Vuata Maca crystal was found hidden in a snowdrift. Takua was only able to find it thanks to its unique glow shining through the top layer of a snowpile.

The location of the Element of Melting was found due to the stone's inherent properties. Takua was journeying throughout a heavily frozen portion of Ko-Wahi when one puddle stood out among several ice stalagmites. He had to scare off a few ice Kuma to get close, but a mere arm's reach into the surprisingly warm waters revealed that the Element of Melting was indeed there.

That just left the Ice Toa Stone. It was on his way back to the village that Takua found three snow-covered crates tucked away on a peak. _I shouldn't look in those, they're probably for someone else. _But…his curiosity won him over. Flinging his sharp-edged disk to open them, he was shocked to find a large ice Hikaki, more commonly known as a "dragon lizard", in each.

_Why can't I ever just leave things alone? _he thought angrily, as they began hopping after him, gnashing their teeth and opening their claws. _Someone probably trapped them there!_

The deep snow and frigid temperatures already made movement hard, but in life-threatening situations like this, Takua had learned to power through. Using his new water staff, two of the Rahi received enough battery to run off into the wild, rather than continue to pester this one Matoran.

The third Hikaki doubled back on Takua, forcing him to take cover in the remains of one of the opened crates. He emerged over the edge of the side of the crate to sling a Madu fruit in the creature's chest right as it ran at him, taking the impact at close range. That was enough to send it running, too.

Takua reached to push himself off the ground, and found that his luck hadn't run out yet—his hand was on the Ice Toa Stone, hidden on the ground next to the crate. Encouraged, he then returned to Ko-Koro with the Element of Melting and second Vuata Maca crystal. He gave the Element of Melting to Matoro, because Nuju would know what to do with it, and the crystal to the tree keeper, who then restored Ko-Koro's power tree.

"Thank you, on behalf of Ko-Koro," the keeper said.

"You're welcome. Nuju is safe. Matoro was glad to have him back."

"Matoro has a good heart," the Ko-Matoran said, "and most people wouldn't know it, but a good singing voice, too. He was a good choice as Nuju's aid."

Takua simply nodded in agreement as the flourishing tree matured.

With the ice village returned to strength and social health, it was time to leave for the final village on the island—his fiery home, Ta-Koro.


	10. Chapter 9

Even a wanderer like Takua could not, under regular circumstances, deny the comfort that came with seeing his familiar region again. After all that he had been through, he would have a hard time complaining about its dullness for quite some time. It was true, Ta-Koro had never seemed to be enough for him, but it was home just the same—and it had been so for hundreds of years.

The lava-infested area of Ta-Wahi was located near the southeastern side of Mata Nui, born from the primary run-off of the Mangai Volcano. Lava falls, rivers of molten magma, and other fiery features could be found here, flowing from escape holes in the mountain or the mouth of the volcano itself. Ta-Wahi may have been the smallest elemental region on the island, but it still boasted harsh conditions and unforgettable sights.

The Lake of Fire was one such sight in the shadow of the Mangai; it was a large pool of lava with a wide pillar of volcanic rock at its center. It was on that rock, suspended high above the Lake of Fire, on which the village of Ta-Koro rested. Only one bridge connected Ta-Koro to the surrounding rock outside the Lake, and the entrance to the Lake was guarded by a small fortress commanded by the famous Ta-Koro Guard.

The village's people lived within dwellings made of cooled lava and worked the lava fields to the north. A small stream of the stuff flowed through the village, providing it with heat. Ta-Matoran commonly worked as Crafters and Lava Farmers, who drew lava from beneath the nearby volcano and used it to forge or cast tools and produce fertile soil. The sport to know around here was Ignalu Lava Surfing, most common in the Tren Krom Break, if mildly dangerous—the lava break there provided ambitious Matoran with more exciting rapids and slopes on which to gain speed. The only thing more fun and dangerous than surfing on lava was to do it at a higher velocity.

As Takua arrived in the village of fire, he was surprised to see the elder, Turaga Vakama was still in the settlement among the Ta-Matoran. Vakama was known for his great courage, his hot temper, and his excellent story-telling. Takua approached the elder when he finished his conversation with another Matoran. "Turaga! You're safe. What a reassuring surprise! Your brothers and sister all fell captive to Rahi—I thought you would have, too."

When Vakama replied, there was no animosity in his voice, but a stern reminder. "Yes. I know of the Makuta's recent attacks, and we are holding our own thusly. But…I see you have returned."

"Turaga Whenua instructed me to find the Toa Stones," Takua explained. "I've helped the other villages restore power, rescue their Turaga leaders, and find their Toa Stones. Now I'm back to do the same here."

"Well now, you certainly have changed from the Takua I knew for so long," Vakama said, his eyes widening. "It seems the Great Spirit is at work in you. Yes, I know of Whenua's message to you, as well as Nokama and Nuju's discovery. We are potentially in a historic moment for the Matoran and the island of Mata Nui. But are you sure you can find the Fire Toa Stone? You were cast out of our village for poor work ethic and lack of will, costing the village too many resources and too much time. You have become a wanderer, and where you wander, trouble follows."

"But Turaga, I've changed," Takua insisted. He held out his hand, showing the fire elder the Air Toa Stone. "I have gathered the Toa Stones. I rescued your brothers and sister from the Vatuka, Makika, Nui-Jaga, Kewa, and more."

Vakama looked at the Stone, recognition and acceptance forming on his features. "Then I believe you," he said. "I will not impede your duty, though I must appoint you to a more pressing task. While I organize our defenses against the Makuta's bestial minions, I need you to find an antidote for the poison that is corrupting our village's water supply. You can retrieve the herb I need." The Turaga of Fire handed Takua a tablet with a carved description of the plant and its location along with a crude sketch. "This was drawn up to identify it with the help of a Ga-Matoran and a Le-Matoran, those who know the wildlife of Mata Nui best—you take it."

The instructions took Takua to the southernmost portion of Ta-Wahi, where the region met with the jungle of Le-Wahi. Luckily, the plant wasn't deep in the jungle, but thrived on the emanating heat from Ta-Wahi. He grabbed three samples, put them in a container, and returned to Ta-Koro. He didn't think that he had been gone long, but it was still long enough for misfortune to come. When he returned the plant samples and its carving to the Ta-Matoran who had signed the tablet, he received surprising news.

"We just had another Rahi attack," the Matoran said softly, looking down. "Vakama was taken."

"What? How is that possible?" Takua asked. He had only been gone an hour or so. _Then again, I guess that's long enough for a Rahi strike, _he realized. The creatures did seem to be even more aggressive now. But still— "Ta-Koro is the most heavily defended village on the island!"

"Yes, it is!" the Matoran replied. "Our bridge was monitored and our soldiers at attention. But we've never seen a Nui-Rama come this far into the fire region."

That explained it. Seeing a Nui-Rama this far from the jungle area was unusual for its nature, but Ta-Koro's weakness rested in anything flying. Giant stinging insects were one of those. "Did you see where they carried him?"

"Off in the direction of the Tren Krom Break."

Rather than accepting defeat, the setback only spurred Takua on with greater purpose. He went out into the lava plains to find the Turaga and Vuata Maca crystals, finally able to traverse a region with which he was familiar. He found Vakama as a prisoner to a group of Fire Mahi—moderately sized goat-like Rahi. Wild Mahi could live alone or in herds. They tended to be territorial, quickly charging down anything that approached and then ramming them with their dangerous horns. Despite this, Mahi could be domesticated by Matoran, making them useful livestock. Takua didn't see himself getting a pet out of this, though.

Once again striking with the element of surprise, his water staff seemed to do the most to deter the fire-loving variant of the Rahi.

"The key!" Vakama called. "You'll need the key!"

Takua jumped out of the way of a Mahi's charge. "Where!?"

"There!" Vakama pointed to the Rahi that had charged at Takua, showing that the key to Vakama's prison was tied around its neck.

Takua focused on that particular beast, knocking the key from it with his bamboo disk. More water spheres drove the Mahi away, allowing Takua to open the Turaga's prison and venture back to Ta-Koro.

X X X

Vakama inspected a well in the village square. The water was pure once again (not "Ga-Koro" pure, of course, just "Ta-Koro" pure) and drinkable. "I see you have done as I asked about our water, and saved me as well! Now, I can confidently give you the information you will need to find the Fire Toa Stone and complete your quest for the Toa. It is safe in the depths of the Mangai Volcano. You may take the west exit of Ta-Koro to get there quickest."

Takua nodded and left, but before following Vakama's directions he stopped by his hut to grab his Lavaboard. _If I'm going to be navigating the lava channels around Ta-Wahi, I'll definitely need it, _he told himself.

Once he had his board, Takua ventured into the cave network of the volcano. Despite the Mangai Volcano possessing a cave network like Onu-Wahi, their respective atmospheres were largely different: where Onu-Wahi was dark and cool and moist, the Mangai's cave walls glistened and reflected the orange and red waves of heat coming from the nearby lava around every corner, the heat pounded on any traveler, and the smoke from the molten material dried the air and walls. Only Ta-Matoran and Turaga Vakama, who possessed a natural resistance to higher temperatures thanks to their elemental affiliation with fire, were able to navigate the tunnels comfortably.

The presence of the Makuta's minions reminded Takua that his resistance to the environment proved to be a strong benefit. Not only was Ta-Wahi a harsh land, but if the topography didn't end an islander, the ever-present threat of the Rahi might. Surviving the island and surviving its beasts were often two different things.

Undeterred by the waves of heat from the rock and lava, he was able to focus his attacks on the Mahi, Fikou, Kuma, and Jaga who tried to block his progress. At the end of one side tunnel of Rahi, Takua found a Vuata Maca crystal for Ta-Koro's tree and took it with him.

Continuing through the many paths, Takua arrived at a large chamber, shaped mostly as a semi-circle. His entrance deposited him in the center of the rounded edge, with the straight edge in front of him. A lava river bisected the room, keeping him on his side and from reaching the other half. Across the flow, however, he could see an opening into another room.

"Seems promising," the Matoran muttered. "Hmm…how to get there?" He looked around the chamber. There wasn't much in the way of equipment. The solution to this kind of problem in the other regions was to use his Volo Lutu and pull himself across, but there were no protruding details to which the tool could adhere. To solve that secondary problem, in any of the other regions he would have created an ice pillar with the Ice Pick, backed up, and then launched himself across like in Le-Wahi. Here, though, the heat would liquefy the construction before he could properly use it.

Takua puzzled for several more minutes, trying to think of other ways to replicate the tool's action-reaction capabilities…and then it came to him. He threw his Lavaboard onto the lava flow's surface and hopped on. The slow moving current carried him downstream, threatening to suck his board under the wall with the rest of the flow. He jumped off back to the safety of the solid rock with his board in hand. "That was close…" he said, catching his breath. "But maybe it can still work."

Takua walked all the way upstream, where the flow began, and tried again. The current still carried him to the other end of the room, but as he floated he threw rocks toward the entrance from which he had come. The momentum of throwing heavy objects on a buoyant, lava-resisting board pushed him closer to the opposite side. He made it to shore before reaching the downstream end at the wall of the chamber.

Takua smiled, proud of himself. "Haha, I'm smart."

Entering the chamber, Takua turned as he walked, taking in its sights. As he spun, he tripped over a rock in the ground, stumbling forward. He caught himself on his hands and knees, frustrated over his clumsiness. At the very least, when he looked up he saw that the room did indeed contain the Fire Toa Stone, and a second Vuata Maca crystal to boot. Grumbling to himself, he snatched up both in hand and returned to Ta-Koro.

X X X

Back in the village, Takua handed the crystals to the Vuata Maca Tree keeper. Takua had seen five other trees be restored to health, and their branches curve like tendrils around new spheres of energy in the tree, but he couldn't help the feeling of wholeness that came with this last tree—his home tree's—restoration. All the villages were back in working order—their infrastructure restored and their leaders rescued.

"Perfect."

Takua turned to see a very satisfied Turaga Vakama approaching. "With the elders returned and Vuata Maca growing green, the villages are stable and safe once more. And even this new safety will be outdone when we summon our heroes to us. You have all six precious Toa Stones?"

Takua opened the pocket in his bag that contained them. "Right here, Turaga."

Vakama smiled and led a departure. "Then let us travel for the Kini-Nui, the site where they must be used, and end this Dark Time."

X X X

When the two arrived at Kini-Nui, Takua was actually surprised to see that the other five elders were all gathered there, too. Even Matoro was present, by Turaga Nuju. "Turaga! Wise elders—what are you all doing here?"

"This is the place we were to gather after all six Toa Stones had been obtained," Nokama said.

"We want-wish to see the coming of our Toa-heroes," Matau informed.

Nuju added something in his own language of clicks and whistles. After a while, Matoro relayed, "Nuju says the elders also desired to congratulate you, Takua, for completing your quest."

Whenua spoke up, adding, "We also owe you another thanks for rescuing us and restoring the Vuata Maca trees, separate from the villages' benefit. In doing so, the Koro were strong and independent enough for the Turaga to temporarily leave and bear witness to this historic and extraordinary event."

"Now that you have the Toa Stones, the tools to summon our heroes," Onewa said, stepping forward from the group past Nuju, "place them in a circle around the Amaja-Nui, the central sandpit."

Vakama, too, spoke. "There are pedestals to accept the stones' energies. Those pedestals will unlock the Stones' power and bring the Toa to fight the Makuta and his Rahi."

"Oh, um…" Takua searched for the right, momentous announcement to make. "Then let's hurry and, uh, welcome the Toa to the island of Mata Nui!" He put his Lavaboard down next to the gathered elders, who watched from a ridge as Takua collected the stones in handful. As he placed the stones down on six smaller circles in the Amaja-Nui sandpit, they began to glow with energy, getting brighter and brighter as each additional stone was placed.

Takua looked around at the six sources of power surrounding him; he stood right in their center. "Um…Turaga…?"

Suddenly, Vakama knew what was about to happen. "Takua, come back out of there, quickly!"

But it was too late. A massive beam of rainbow-colored energy erupted and shot up from the sand pit, traveling far into the sky. The beam bound the colors of the elements together—red, blue, white, green, brown, and black. The Turaga had to shield their eyes, but Takua, so close to the explosion, was caught in the beam, which threw him high into the air above the island. The beam's emittance only lasted a few seconds, but was enough to send the Matoran villager shooting so very high.

After a long time of flying skyward, gravity took hold and reversed the effect and he began to plummet back down, down toward the island of Mata Nui…until he slammed into the Ta-Wahi beach. The impact was so great it could be heard for kio around and made a small crater in the sandy beach.

There, Takua laid still for a long time.

_To be continued in "Bionicle - Phase 01: Advent - Part II: The Coming of the Toa"..._

_(The Dark Time was compiled from the book Chronicles 1: Tale of the Toa; McDonald's Comic 2: Tale of the Toa; __the Official Guide to Bionicle; short story A Thousand Years Untold: Tentacles by Turakii 1 Lava surfer; and __the video game Bionicle: Quest for the Toa) _


End file.
